Defying international calls, Venezuela holds contentious election

CARACAS, Venezuela – President Nicolás Maduro defiantly followed through Sunday with his pledge to hold an internationally condemned election, creating a critical new stage in a long-simmering crisis that could mint the Western Hemisphere’s newest dictatorship.
In a South American nation known for election turnouts topping 70 percent, Venezuelans appeared to vote with their feet – staying away from the unpopular ballot in droves. Stinging tear gas filled the capital and