Story highlights
The opposition party calls for a "thorough and independent investigation"
Democratic Action leader complains of increasing violence against activists and candidates
An opposition politician in Venezuela has been shot to death at a rally in the run-up to parliamentary elections, his party said.
Luis Manuel Diaz, a local official for the Democratic Action party, was gunned down at the event in the town of Altgracia de Orituco on Wednesday, the party said in a statement.
“Democratic Action denounces and condemns the assassination,” the statement said.
It wasn’t clear who carried out the attack. CNN wasn’t able to reach local authorities for comment on the matter late Wednesday.
Henry Ramos Allup, the party’s national secretary general, said on Twitter that the shooting had been carried out by attackers in a vehicle. He complained of increasing violence against opposition activists and candidates.
Democratic Action, which is among an alliance of parties challenging the ruling socialist party of President Nicolas Maduro, called for “an immediate, thorough and independent investigation” into the killing of Luis Diaz.
Venezuelans will go to the polls on December 6 to elect a new National Assembly amid an economic crisis resulting from the collapse in oil prices. Venezuela, which has the world’s largest oil reserves, relies on the natural resource to drive its economy.