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CARACAS, Aug. 8-- Venezuela's National Electoral Council decided on Tuesday to bar the opposition coalition, the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), from running in seven of 23 states for regional elections in December. In a report, the CNE says the MUD "must abstain from presenting candidates in Zulia, Apure, Monagas, Bolivar, Trujillo, Aragua and Carabobo, in compliance with legal judgments granted in these state." The seven states in question are run by the official ruling coalition, and have found irregularities in a petition presented by the MUD to call a recall referendum against President Nicolas Maduro in 2016. A number of political parties including the MUD had announced their candidacies recently, including Popular Will (VP), whose leader Freddy Guevara is under investigation for encouraging "violent acts" during opposition protests. Other MUD parties including Democratic Action, A New Time, Justice First and Progressive Advance had also said they would prepare candidacies in the seven states confirmed. The CNE is renewing the credentials of political parties this week, ahead of the elections. Venezuela's Supreme Court (TSJ) on Tuesday found Ramon Muchacho, the opposition mayor of Chacao in the northern state of Miranda, guilty on the charge of civil disobedience and sentenced him to 15 months in prison. The TSJ's Constitutional Court held an audience of over six hours on the case against Muchacho, who refused to heed orders to clear highways leading to Caracas during violent anti-government protests. | 
