Ignoring the Barbados agreementswhich establish, among other points, the review of political disqualifications and electoral guarantees, which included the holding of elections in the second half of 2024the Maduro regime promotes a “great national consultation” with questioned sectors of the opposition in order to advance in the construction of an electoral calendar.
This, without taking into consideration the leadership of María Corina Machadocandidate of the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) -an alliance that brings together the main opposition parties in the country-, who was elected in the primary process held on October 22, 2023 with more than 2.5 million votes.
“Tomorrow (February 5) at 12:00 noon all political parties and groups of voters have already confirmed their attendance at the Federal Legislative Palace to begin the great national consultation,” he expressed. Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly (AN) and head of the Chavista delegation in the negotiation process.
Within the framework of the commemoration of attempted coup d’état perpetrated by Hugo Chávez In 1992, Rodríguez ratified the call he had made on Tuesday to pre-candidates, political parties, businessmen and members of civil society to prepare a proposal for an electoral schedule to present to the National Electoral Council (CNE) and to call the presidential elections scheduled for this anus.
“Let’s buy espadrilles, what’s coming is joropo”warned the Chavista official, close to Nicolás Maduro, who plans to have the electoral agenda ready “long before” April 18.
“Fraudulent electoral route”
María Corina Machado, on whom weighs a political disqualification ratified by the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) which acts as the judicial arm of the regime, expressed its rejection of the call made by Chavismo.
Through a brief message posted on his X account, formerly Twitter, he stated that this meeting ignores the commitment assumed in Barbados by “free and fair elections”.
“His maneuver is a fraudulent electoral route “that violates the will of millions of Venezuelans expressed in the October 22 primaries and of everyone,” he asserted in the publication, in which he accused the regime of wanting to “wash your face by compromising, through threats and blackmail, institutions and people” to attend that meeting.
The unitary standard bearer alerted the international community of this “burse manipulation” and reiterated that stability, good business and peace are only possible “with the rule of law, justice, social well-being, democracy and freedom.”
“Let’s keep the focus on building more and more strength every day to force them to hold free and fair presidential elections this year, in which we will give them their great defeat,” Machado stressed.
María Corina Machado, the only candidate
Different spokespersons for the Maduro regime have made clear their intention to leave the opposition leader out of the electoral game, whom they accuse of having “delusions of grandeur” and branded “arrogant” for defending their right to participate in these elections in which the fate of the South American country is at risk.
“There will be no fraudulent elections here. I received the mandate of almost three million Venezuelans who exercised popular sovereignty on October 22, and that I represent. They cannot hold elections without me or without those who voted that day“, expressed the opponent three days after learning of the TSJ ruling, in the company of former candidates and representatives of the different parties of the PUD.
The opposition leader, together with the political and civil society organizations that support her, have ruled out, for the moment, the possibility of appointing a substitute to face Maduro or the opponent designated by Chavismo in this electoral process.
With her motto “until the end,” Machado remains the only candidate of the opposition majority.
Maduro seeks to remain in power
This Sunday, in a statement spread on social networks, the opposition coalition reiterated its commitment and that of its standard-bearer to achieve political change this year through the electoral route.
He warned about Maduro’s intention to “staying in power without having the support of the people’s votes”so together with “some allies” they promote meetings to try “design a type of electoral process that adapts” to that intention that goes “against the feelings of the vast majority of Venezuelans” who support political change through “democratic means.”
“From the Democratic Unitary Platform we consider that the political space to discuss this matter is the Barbados Agreement, within which the representation of the government and our Negotiating Delegation agreed and signed, among other issues, to jointly propose that the presidential electoral process be in the second half of the year 2024,” says the document.
Furthermore, he highlighted that although the negotiation process is the “political space” to discuss the electoral calendar, constitutionally this is a competence of the CNEas the governing body of the electoral processes.
“If it (the CNE) considers it convenient, as it should be, it can call, before making decisions, meetings to hear the opinion of all interested parties,” he noted, noting that the meeting called on Monday can only be due to “ “the intention to distort what should be a transparent electoral process, capable of guaranteeing respect for the freely expressed will of the people.”
An opposition to the measure?
Leaving out María Corina Machado and the parties that support her, Chavismo seeks to create an electoral scenario similar to that registered in 2018when the opposition decided not to participate, considering that it was a “fraudulent” process of origin, which did not have the electoral guarantees established by the Constitution.
On that occasion, the process was convened by the National Constituent Assembly (ANC), chaired by the current Chavista vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, and who exercised the functions of the AN elected in 2015.
In this process, questioned nationally and internationally and in which Maduro earned the ignorance of more than 60 countriesthe dictator faced three candidates who were far from representing the opposition majority: Henry Falconfrom Avanzada Progresista (now judicialized); Reinaldo Quijada, from the dissident Chavismo party UPP89; and Javier Bertuccifrom Hope for Change.
Now, in what appears to be the emergence of a new opposition to “his measure,” in which his permanence in power is not in danger, at least nine candidates emerge from leaders who call themselves opponents. Among them is, Antonio Ecarriby the Alliance of El Lápiz, who declined to participate in the opposition primaries because they considered that they represented the “union of a small group.”
They will also participate Benjamin Rausseocomedian known as “Er conde del guácharo” who, after requesting CNE participation in the primaries, distanced himself from the process; Leocenis Garcia, from the Prociudadanos party, from whom the TSJ recently lifted the political disqualification he had had since 2021; and his own Javier Bertucciwho is looking for his second “chance.”
Other candidates for Miraflores, who are closer to Chavismo and belong to the opposition parties that were prosecuted by the regime, are: Luis Eduardo Martínezfrom the Democratic Action party described as a “scorpion”; Jose Britofrom Primero Venezuela, which seeks to supplant Primero Justicia; Juan Carlos Alvarado, of Copei intervened by the TSJ; and Luis Alejandro Rattiwho proclaims himself president of the Vente Venezuela movement, belonging to María Corina Machado.
They are also joined by the journalist Seir Contreraswho was fired from the pro-Chavismo television plant, Globovisión, for his criticism of the Maduro regime.
The young man, who indicated that he will also attend the meeting called by Chavismo, assured that he does not seek to be a “dividing factor” but rather to join for Venezuela. “I am not a false opposition. I am from the opposition, but not from ‘the opposition’ (PUD). My party at the moment is Venezuela,” he added.
This would be the “opposition” with which Maduro predicts a “great victory” in the 2024 presidential elections.
“The team wins and we are going to win by hook or by crook”Maduro warned the opposition this Sunday, making it clear that an electoral contest would not make sense because Chavismo “adjusts it to its measure” to perpetuate itself in power.
@ebritop22
Source: With information from social networks / AP / El Nacional / Runrun.es
