VENEZUELAN election officials told President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday that his plan to hold legislative, provincial and municipal elections on the same day in unfeasible.

“We are now not prepared to make a presidential election coincide with other elections that are technically more complex,” National Electoral Council (CNE) president Tibisay Lucena said.

Mr Maduro had suggested an omnibus election day to take place on April 22, which the CNE has already set for the presidential poll. But the elections body asserted its independence, saying that holding them all on the same day was beyond its capacity.