Venezuela's Maduro okays referendum if signatures validated [View all]

[Bacchus4.0]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/venezuelas-maduro-okays-referendum-signatures-validated-040340344.html

Caracas (AFP) - Venezuela's embattled President Nicolas Maduro said Tuesday he would allow a referendum vote on removing him from power if electoral officials validate the 1.85 million signatures submitted on a petition.

Opposition leaders on Monday had presented reams of signatures to election authorities calling for a referendum to remove the man they blame for a crushing economic crisis.

"If on this second step, they say that the signatures were collected, we head to a referendum, period," Maduro said in his weekly radio address hours before the electoral council was set to start inspecting the signatures.

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The MUD said it had presented 1.85 million signatures -- more than nine times the number needed to launch the referendum process -- to the National Electoral Board.