Opposition vows boycott as Venezuela holds new vote

A trickle of Venezuelans lined up at the polls early yesterday to elect a new parliament and state governors in a vote that the main opposition party was boycotting in protest at last summer's disputed reelection of President Nicolas Maduro.

Some 21 million voters are eligible to cast their ballot for 285 members of the National Assembly and 24 governors.

But pollster Delphos projected a turnout of just 16 percent, mostly Maduro supporters, after the main opposition -- led by Maria Corina Machado, an engineer and former MP -- urged Venezuelans not to legitimize what they see as yet another sham election.