Woman killed, others wounded as Venezuelans participate in symbolic vote

A woman was killed and four others wounded Sunday in Venezuela, as opposition leaders held a symbolic referendum on President Nicolas Maduro's plan to rewrite the country's constitution.

The woman, a 61-year-old nurse, died during a shooting in western Caracas; the mayor of the borough of Sucre said pro-government paramilitary fighters on motorcycles attacked voters waiting outside of a church. The official vote for a new assembly that would be able to rewrite the 1999 constitution is set for July 30, but opposition politicians decided to hold the symbolic referendum to put pressure on Maduro. The voters on Sunday were asked to vote yes or no on three questions: Do they reject the constitutional assembly? Do they support an early election being called before Maduro's current term expires in 2018? Do they believe the military should protect the government the way it is? Hundreds of thousands of people are thought to have voted in Venezuela and expat communities.

Venezuela is experiencing an economic crisis, made even worse due to falling oil prices. Since anti-government protests stared earlier this year, at least 93 people have been killed, 1,500 wounded, and more than 500 arrested.

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