The logo of Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) is seen on the facade of its headquarters in Caracas on March 5, 2024. (PHOTO / AFP)

CARACAS — Venezuela will hold its presidential election on July 28, the head of the national electoral council said on Tuesday. 

The government and the opposition agreed in an October electoral deal that the vote would take place in the second half of 2024, that international observers would oversee it, and that each side would choose its candidate.

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July 28 is the birthday of late President Hugo Chavez who died in 2013. Tuesday was the 11th anniversary of Chavez's death.

The electoral council "evaluated the different proposals for a schedule that contemplates all the constitutional, legal and technical requirements," its head Elvis Amoroso said, reading from a statement.

The country's Supreme Court in January upheld a ban on holding public office imposed by the country's controller general against Maria Corina Machado, who won an October opposition primary to determine its presidential candidate. 

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Machado, a 56-year-old industrial engineer, has rejected the possibility of a substitute candidate.

A March 25 deadline for candidate registration however may force the opposition's hand. Machado's campaign said she was in the country's Andean region and it offered no immediate comment after the election date was announced.