CARACAS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's presidential elections will be held on April 22, Tibisay Lucena, president of Venezuela's National Electoral Council, announced Wednesday.

Last month, Venezuela's National Constituent Assembly (ANC) unanimously voted to move up the presidential elections to sometime before the April 30 deadline.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro will be running for re-election as the candidate of Venezuela's United Socialist Party (PSUV).

Elections were set to take place in December 2018, but the ruling socialist party feared that external support for the right-wing opposition coalition could strengthen the anti-government movement over the coming months.