Iberia and Air France have suspended flights to Venezuela due to safety concerns ahead of the country's controversial vote Sunday, the Spanish and French airlines announced Saturday.

The country has been engulfed by months of deadly anti-government protests amid a worsening economic crisis and pleas from the opposition and world leaders for President Nicolas Maduro to cancel the election.

Iberia cancelled a service scheduled for Sunday from Madrid to Caracas at short notice and said flights would resume on August 2 at the earliest. Air France cut flights to the country from Sunday to Tuesday.

Another 10 airlines - including Germany's Lufthansa and Italy's Alitalia - have completely stopped offering flights to Venezuela.

On Sunday, Venezuela is due to elect a 545-member body which will be tasked with rewriting the constitution. The opposition has accused Maduro of seeking to establish a dictatorship with the move.