The Venezuelan opposition found itself unable to field candidates for the presidential elections scheduled for July 28, and accused Nicolas Maduro's regime of obstructing any alternative to Chavismo.
The Democratic Unity Party, the coalition that brings together the main parties opposing Chavismo, revealed that an attempt to register its candidate, historian Corina Llores, failed due to an alleged computer malfunction. The application period ended on Monday.
Joris, an 80-year-old academic who has never held public office, was chosen as a replacement for María Corina Machado, the main opposition leader who was elected in last October's primaries by more than two million votes. Corinna Machado has been barred by court decision from running for public office, in a case she says is politically motivated, and has announced that Joris will be the DUP's candidate.
However, it was not possible to register the nomination until midnight on Monday, and members of Joris' team were not allowed to register directly at the headquarters of the National Electoral Council in Caracas, for security reasons. On the same day, Maduro and a number of members of the Chavista government elite personally went to the headquarters of the Electoral College, controlled by the regime, to formalize the candidacy and were not allowed entry for fear of an attack against the president, Reuters reported. El Pais.
In submitting his candidacy, Maduro had harsh words for the opposition, which he accused of being manipulated by “puppeteers.” He said: “They are driven by imperialism, they are anti-project, they have personal ambitions, and their goal is to hand the country over to the claws of the North American empire. They are despair, nothingness, and a failed past.”
Without being able to field a competitive candidate, there were few options left for the opposition coalition, which had hoped it could count on fair and free elections after sitting at the table for several months with Maduro's government. Only candidates who are seen as low-threatening and, in some cases, even close to Chavismo, are running against the incumbent president.
The only two possible exceptions are the candidacy of Manuel Rosales, one of the few opponents of the regime who won elections in recent years when he was able to be elected governor of the state of Zulia, and Enrique Márquez, a politician who is not widely known.
On Tuesday, Corina Machado denounced the National Electoral Council's actions to block Joris' candidacy. The opposition leader said: “This is the regime that refuses to compete with an 80-year-old academic woman.” “The regime has chosen its candidates,” Machado lamented, stressing that Joris will continue to be the candidate of the Democratic Unionist Party.
With the vote likely to be split among voters who want the end of Chavismo, Maduro appears to have a relatively easy path to staying in power. Pressure on the opposition has increased, and in recent weeks a number of members of Machado's campaign team have been arrested.
The United States re-imposed some sanctions that had been lifted during the negotiation process between the government and the opposition, and expressed its concern about the exclusion of Democratic Unionist Party candidates. “It is important that the Maduro regime recognizes and respects the right of all candidates to run. We call on Maduro to do so,” the White House National Security Council said in a statement.
The Brazilian government, which has so far tried to rapprochement with Caracas, also expressed its “concern” about the Venezuelan electoral process.
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