Venezuela delays presidential vote as challenger steps up
Venezuela’s government has agreed to delay presidential elections by a month as part of a last-minute deal with a few of the political parties seeking to unseat President Nicolás Maduro, despite a US-supported boycott of the race by the main opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) coalition.
Communications Minister Jorge Rodríguez said the accord was hammered out during several days of secret negotiations with members of the opposition, including some whose parties have so far refused to participate in the presidential vote.
The accord, confirmed by the chairman of the National Electoral Council (CNE) Tibisay Lucena, reschedules the election for the second half of May to give candidates more time to campaign, allow millions of Venezuelan exiles to register to vote abroad and pave the way for a jointly proposed team of electoral observers from the United Nations. As part of the deal, long-overdue elections for city councils and state legislatures would now also be held on the same day.
“Venezuela is sending a powerful message to the world that we want to settle our differences in peace, by voting,” said Rodríguez.
The accord was signed by three smaller parties that broke off from the MUD’s call for a boycott and have thrown their support behind the independent candidacy of Henri Falcón, a former backer of the late President Hugo Chávez.
As a deadline loomed closer for parties to nominate candida- tes, Falcón has emerged as Maduro’s strongest challenger. But he lacks the support of the opposition MUD coalition, which has vowed to boycott the election unless the government moves to ensure fairness.
The MUD on Thursday called on Falcón, a 56-year-old retired military officer, to withdraw from the election, accusing him of legitimising a poll lacking in any guarantees that it would be free and fair.
REMAINS TO BE SEEN
It remains to be seen if the more limited concessions made Thursday by the government will be enough to convince the coalition to reverse course. Rodríguez alleged that many are taking orders from the Donald Trump administration not to compete.
“It matters more what Mr. Robinson says than millions of Venezuelan voters,” he said, referring to Todd Robinson, the new, outspoken top US diplomat in Caracas.
The US has sanctioned dozens of top officials, including Maduro himself, and has called the snap election further proof of the president’s intention to dismantle Venezuela’s democracy. Traditionally, presidential elections in Venezuela have taken place in the final three months of the year.
Ordinary Venezuelans are struggling with hyperinflation that the International Monetary Fund projects will climb to 13,000 percent this year, along with chronic shortages of basic foods and medicine. While polls show Venezuelans overwhelmingly blame Maduro for hard- ships brought, few opponents believe that voting will be fair. The ruling Socialist party dominates almost all state institutions, including the national electoral council.
The proposed UN electoral mission, if accepted, could help boost voters’ confidence the contest will be fair. The UN has yet to decide whether to send a mission and it wasn’t clear whether the government would commit to giving electoral observers the freedom to carry out an audit of the electoral process.
“This accord doesn’t guarantee the government won’t cheat,” said Jesús Seguías, president of local pollster DatinCorp. “But it could generate enough confidence for Venezuelans to come out and vote.”