MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Enough signatures to move to the second stage of the referendum to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro have been validated by the National Electoral Council (CNE), media reported Saturday.
"In total, despite all those obstacles, of everything that happened, of all the people who were left out, of all who were excluded… despite everything, 409,313 patriotic Venezuelans managed to validate their signatures," the leader of the campaign to collect the signatures and two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles said as quoted by EFE News Agency.
Some 194,729 signatures were needed to move to the second phase of the referendum.
A total of 7,587,532 votes, which is the number of votes Maduro received when was elected in 2013, is needed at the referendum to remove the president.
Public support for Maduro has dropped to record lows after falling oil prices strained Venezuela’s budget, sparking high inflation and food shortages.
