Venezuela Socialist Party and opposition convene rival parliaments after disputed vote

FILE PHOTO: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro gestures during a news conference on December 8, 2020. REUTERS/Manaure Quintero

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's ruling Socialist Party on Tuesday inaugurated a parliament controlled by allies of President Nicolas Maduro, while the opposition convened a rival committee of legislators in a virtual session, following disputed elections on Dec. 6.

The opposition, led by speaker Juan Guaido, had boycotted the vote, widely considered fraudulent by Maduro adversaries and many Western countries. On Dec. 26, the opposition-controlled parliament approved a statute extending its term into 2021.