Venezuela President Maduro brands EU electoral observers 'spies'

FILE PHOTO: Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro addresses the media at the Miraflores Palace, in Caracas, Venezuela October 15, 2021. REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday denounced members of the European Union's (EU) electoral observation mission who monitored voting last weekend as "spies," and accused them of looking to "stain" the regional elections on their preliminary report.

Local and regional elections enjoyed better conditions than during previous voting, the EU mission said on Tuesday, though they raised concerns about arbitrary bans on candidates for administrative reasons, delays in opening voting centers and "extended use of state resources in the campaign."