Spanish deputy Willy Meyer, one out of the seven members of the European Parliament who act as observers in the election for president Sunday, pointed to "massive, well-arranged and happy turnout."

"I think that this is most important," the member of the bureau of the European United Left-Nordic Green Left told reporters, Efe quoted.

Meyer endorsed the provision from the National Electoral Council (CNE), under which voters should record their fingerprints before casting their ballots. Opposition candidates have argued that this step delays voting.

The use of fingerprint-reading machines "has been a controversial issue in Venezuela's recent past," the Spanish lawmaker conceded.