EU to monitor Venezuelan parliamentary elections
The European Union (EU) will send 160 observers to monitor Venezuela's parliamentary elections scheduled for Dec. 4, Jose Albino Silva, head of the EU mission told reporters Friday.

"The protocol negotiated laid down the rules for this observation ... The conditions are in place for this mission," Silva told reporters.

The EU said Wednesday it decided to send an election observers mission to Venezuela after receiving invitation from the South American country's electoral authorities.

The observers will be deployed throughout the country to follow the campaign period and pre-election preparations as well as voting, counting and the tabulation of the results, the EU said.

Venezuelans will elect 167 members of the National Assembly next month.