Venezuela swears in opposition governors despite boycott

Delcy Rodriguez (left), swears in four opposition governors in Caracas

Four newly-elected opposition governors in Venezuela have agreed to be sworn in by the constituent assembly, defying their coalition's official position.

The Roundtable for Democracy (MUD) had said none of its candidates would kneel before the pro-government assembly, which it regards as illegitimate.

However governors for Táchira, Mérida, Nuevo Esparta and Anzoátegui have all pledged allegiance.

The MUD says it was denied victory in several states in the 15 October vote.

The move means that four of the five MUD governors to boycott the previous event in which 18 newly elected socialist governors were sworn in have changed their stance.

The head of the constituent assembly, Delcy Rodriguez, said the remaining holdout opposition governor, Juan Pablo Guanipa of Zulia state, would suffer consequences for his refusal.

Mr Guanipa, who is from a more radical party than the other governors, said his state would never bow before what he described as the dictatorship of President Nicolas Maduro.

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Mr Maduro, who described the election result as a victory, said that governors who refused to be sworn in by the constituent assembly would not be allowed to take up office.

The opposition argues that the elections, in which the majority of Venezuela's 23 regional governorships were won by pro-government candidates, had been fraudulent.

They have published what they say is evidence of fraud in the state of Bolívar, where the government candidate was declared the winner after a two-day delay.