Opposition leader banned from politics

Aleading Venezuelan opposition leader, Henrique Capriles, has been formally banned for 15 years from public office.

Mr Capriles has been at the forefront of demands for a recall referendum on President Nicolas Maduro.

There was no immediate comment from the government on the ban.

In a heated press conference, Mr Capriles said he would continue in his post as governor of Miranda state and called for a protest march.

Mr Capriles, who has run twice as a presidential candidate, is seen as the opposition’s best hope of defeating President Maduro in elections scheduled for next year.

The ban comes after a week of several large opposition-led protests in the capital Caracas. They accuse the government of stifling dissent.