Observers invited by Venezuela condemn election

A renowned NGO that was invited by Venezuelan officials to monitor Sunday's presidential poll has said the election "cannot be considered democratic".

The US-based Carter Center deployed 17 experts and observers to Venezuela after being asked to monitor the election by the National Electoral Council (CNE).

On Monday, the CNE - which is dominated by government allies - declared President Nicolás Maduro the winner, but the result has been disputed by the opposition which says voting tallies show its candidate, Edmundo González, has won by a wide margin.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Carter Center said that it could not "verify or corroborate the results of the election declared by CNE".