Venezuela's socialists eye congress control as opposition boycotts vote

FILE PHOTO: Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro talks to the media after casting his vote at a polling station during the municipal legislators election in Caracas, Venezuela December 9, 2018. Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela will hold parliamentary elections this Sunday in a vote that the United States, European Union and many citizens view as a fraudulent effort by the ruling socialist party to seize control of the last institution in opposition hands.

The opposition, led by National Assembly speaker Juan Guaido, is boycotting the vote on the grounds that it will be rigged in favor of President Nicolas Maduro's allies. Court rulings have left the body largely toothless since the opposition won control in a December 2015 election.