María Corina Machado is winner of Venezuela opposition primary that the government has denounced

By REGINA GARCIA CANO
Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan government critic María Corina Machado has been declared the winner of an opposition-organized primary to choose a presidential candidate in polling last weekend that has been denounced by the socialist government as illegitimate. The voting Sunday organized by the National Primary Commission drew more than 2.4 million voters in Venezuela and abroad and was aimed at choosing a candidate to run against President Nicolás Maduro next year. But despite some assurances by Maduro’s government that the opposition would be allowed to choose a candidate, it has cast heavy doubt on any outcome of the weekend primary. Prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into primary organizers, and the government has officially banned Machado from running for office.