Venezuela presidential challenger demands new election

CARACAS, Venezuela – The man who finished second in Venezuela's recent presidential election is asking the Supreme Court to order a new vote.

Henri Falcon argued on Wednesday that Maduro's ruling socialist party unfairly influenced the election by setting up kiosks near voting centers and giving poor residents bonuses.

Official results showed Maduro winning a second six-year term in a landslide victory on May 20 despite a historic crisis in the once-wealthy OPEC nation.

The appeal is unlikely to prosper in the Supreme Court, which rarely if ever votes against Maduro.

The legal challenge comes as Canada is slapping 14 Venezuelan leaders with sanctions, condemning the election as illegitimate and anti-democratic.

Cuba's newly installed President Miguel Diaz-Canel, however, was visiting Caracas and congratulated Maduro, reaffirming strong ties between their two nations.