BOGOTA, Colombia

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Tuesday that the US is trying to "cast a shadow over" an upcoming presidential election in the Latin American country slated for July 28.

"The circus has begun, the campaign has begun. Nerves are tense in Washington, as are those of the oligarchy," Maduro said in a weekly news conference.

Maduro claimed that Venezuela's electoral system is the "most reliable" in the world.

He stated: "The US is trying to cast a shadow over our election campaign. Venezuela is implementing a transparent and auditable election policy, while the US is attempting to discredit it."

Maduro said five plots against his government had been thwarted so far this year, accusing high-ranking officials from the administrations of former Colombian Presidents Alvaro Uribe and Ivan Duque of involvement in these plots.

On the rejection of presidential candidacy applications by opposition figures Maria Corina Machado and Corina Yoris by the National Electoral Council, Maduro said he was not involved in that decision.

Maduro, officially nominated by his party for the third time to run for president in the upcoming polls.

*Writing by Muhammed Yasin Gungor in Istanbul