Panama orders retaliatory aviation measure against Venezuela

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Panama's civil aviation authority has been ordered to apply a "retaliation measure" against Venezuela starting from Wednesday evening, a cabinet spokesperson said on Tuesday without giving further details.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced he had won a third term shortly after midnight on Monday, but the opposition, independent pollsters and several international leaders have called the result implausible.

Panama has since suspended its diplomatic relations with Venezuela and announced it will withdraw its diplomatic personnel until a full review of the disputed vote is conducted.

The order follows an incident in which a plane leaving Panama that was carrying regional former presidents en route to observe Sunday's election in Venezuela was blocked.

CONTEXT

Panamanian and Venezuelan authorities had earlier on Tuesday said flights would be suspended. Venezuela also paused flights to the Dominican Republic, saying both governments were interfering in its national affairs.

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino and Dominican counterpart Luis Abinader have called for a review of the election results.

The Organization of American States is set to meet on Wednesday to discuss the results, and Panama's neighbor Costa Rica has offered political asylum to opposition leaders.

(Reporting by Elida Moreno; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by David Alire Garcia and Stephen Coates)