VENEZUELA’S election head Tibisay Lucena held a defiant press conference in the Tunisian capital Tunis yesterday, after being banned by the EU from travelling to Europe.

The National Electoral Council (CNE) president told reporters and diplomats from around the world that the travel ban was part of an ongoing Western propaganda offensive against Venezuela, but nothing would prevent next month’s presidential elections from going ahead as planned.

The ban, which came into force in January, targets seven senior Venezuelan officials, including President Nicolas Maduro and Supreme Court president Maikel Moreno.