Venezuela's electoral commission on Thursday postponed the upcoming presidential election from April 22 for the second half of May following an agreement between the socialist government and some opposition parties.
Venezuela's presidential election is usually held at the end of the year and critics have accused authorities of holding the vote earlier in 2018 to take advantage of the possibility of re-election of Socialist President Nicolas Maduro.
The main opposition coalition is boycotting the vote, saying it was a hoax aimed at legitimizing a "dictatorship".
The two strongest opponents of Maduro's opposition, Leopoldo Lopez and Henrik Carrils, were eliminated.
However, another opposition leader, Henri Falcon, broke with the coalition to run for office, reinforcing the disastrous split in the opposition and increasing Maduro's chances of winning a new six-year term.
Falcon, the 56-year-old former governor, still believes he can win by taking advantage of widespread discontent with the ruling Socialists over Venezuela's economic crisis.
But opposition supporters in Lopez and Capriles' camps have accused him of selling them out and urging voters to abstain.
"Unfortunately, Falcon was tempted to join and play the game of dictatorship," said Juan Pablo Guanipa.