MIAMI_ After announcing the date for the presidential elections in Venezuela, guided by the National Electoral Council (CNE), On July 28, the candidate and opposition leader of the Unitary Platform, María Corina Machado, stated that she will be “the president of all Venezuelans.”
“Today the regime intends to give another kick, it intends once again to ignore what they have to do, what they have no choice but to accept and that is that here there will be clean and free elections,” said the candidate during a rally in Mérida.
Likewise, she expressed, “I received a mandate. The mandate to lead this country to clean and free elections. I am committed to going to the end with this. Just as they left the negotiation, now they want to get out of the electoral route because they are afraid. My commitment is to achieve clean elections, and with the strength of the people we will make it possible,” said the candidate.
Maduro gives the OK to the presidential date
For his part, Nicolás Maduro, Chavismo’s natural candidate for a questioned third re-election, celebrated the call for elections for the coming July 28, announced by the CNE, a body related to the ruling party.
“The CNE has spoken, a sacred word, and we say with the CNE’s announcement of presidential elections on July 28, amen! We are going to presidential elections and I am sure that the people will fight their battle again and will once again win a great victory,” he said.
Without officially confirming his candidacy, the Venezuelan dictator indicated that the call for the presidential elections, which correspond to this year.
The regime and the opposition had agreed on elections in the second half of 2024 in these negotiations, in addition to the observation of the European Union and other international actors.
The president of the CNE, Elvis Amoroso, former comptroller responsible for disqualifying opponents and sanctioned by the United States in 2017 and the European Union in 2020, noted that the date was approved “unanimously.”
The deadline to register candidacies was set between March 21 and 25 and the electoral campaign will be from July 4 to 25.
Source: DLA/AFP EDITORIAL
