VENEZUELA went to the polls on Sunday with Nicolas Maduro seeking a new six-year term as president.

United Socialist Party of Venezuela candidate Mr Maduro, who has been president since 2013, is seeking a third term in office on elections held on what would have been the 70th birthday of former President Hugo Chavez, the revered left-wing leader who died of cancer in 2013.

During the campaign hundreds of thousands have turned out to rallies in support of Mr Maduro during which they have heard the president highlighting the importance of Venezuela overcoming the more than 900 of economic sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union.