Colombia dubs Venezuelan elex a "pre-fabrication"

Colombia's President Ivan Duque told the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday that the parliamentary elections planned in Venezuela in December are a "pre-fabricated" process designed to "perpetuate the dictatorship" of President Nicolás Maduro.

Duque said in a pre-recorded speech that Venezuela needed elections that were truly free.

"We must make a strong appeal to all the nations of the world to raise their voices and demand truly free elections in Venezuela, and not this prefabricated electoral process, to which they intend to take the Venezuelan people this December, simply to perpetuate the dictatorship," he said.

Duque made a reference to a recent report by UN human rights experts which accused Maduro's government of crimes aginst humanity, and highlighted cases of torture and murder allegedly perpetrated by security forces.

"What Maduro seeks with these crimes against humanity is to perpetuate his tyranny, so everyone, absolutely everyone in the international community, must reject that situation," he said.

Venezuela will hold its legislative elections on 6 December for the seats of the National Assembly.

The election offers Maduro and his allies the opportunity to retake the majority in the National Assembly that they lost in 2015 to the opposition led by Juan Guaidó.

"Maduro's dictatorial regime is sustained by drug trafficking resources, is home to terrorists and is a constant threat to democracy in the region and around the world," Duque said.

Maduro himself is expected to address the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.