Venezuela ruling party leads local polls - officials

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's ruling Socialist Party won a majority of votes in Sunday's local elections, giving a major boost to President Nicolas Maduro in his quest to preserve the socialist legacy of his late mentor Hugo Chavez, officials said. With 257 of 337 mayoralties counted nationwide, the ruling party won 44.16 percent of votes, versus 40.56 percent for the opposition, the electoral authority announced. Turn-out was 59 percent, officials said. (Reporting by Andrew Cawthorne; editing by Jackie Frank)