Local media in Venezuela are reporting the shooting to death of an opposition activist as voting got under way in the country’s controversial election for members a new assembly with powers to rewrite the constitution.
The opposition is boycotting the vote which it says is a power grab by President Nicolás Maduro.
Protesters blocked roads in the capital Caracas in defiance of a ban on demonstrations destroying and burning some voting machines in parts of the country.
The government says the constituent assembly is the only way to bring peace back to the country after months of violent protests.
The vote, which follows the postponement of regional elections and Maduro’s repeated refusal to heed decisions by Congress, has brought global condemnation.
