Venezuela's Barinas state, birthplace of Chavez, begins re-run of governor vote

People queue to take part in re-run of the gubernatorial election, in Barinas, Venezuela, January 9, 2022. REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria

BARINAS (Reuters) - An election re-run to decide the governor of Venezuela's Barinas state, the birthplace of former President Hugo Chavez and stronghold of the country's ruling party, began at 6 a.m. (1000 GMT) on Sunday.

The Chavez family have governed Barinas, which straddles Venezuela's western plains, for two decades but when local and regional elections were held in November, the ruling Socialist party did not emerge victorious.