“Nothing and no one will stop us,” said the president of Venezuela this Friday, Niccolo Maduro, on the tenth anniversary of his first election as head of state, following the death of Hugo Chávez. And he stressed that he will continue with the strength of the national union to defend the legacy of the deceased leader.
“Ten years ago the people appointed me president to preserve the peace, defend the legacy of the Commander and continue to forge the Bolivarian Revolution. With the strength of national unity, we have accomplished the mission, and only united will we continue to win , in every battle for the homeland,” Maduro said via social networks.
“The results that we have added in these 10 years of struggle have been extraordinary, and above the difficulties has emerged the great creative ability, the courage and the strength that we have as a people to go forward and win “Nothing and nobody will stop us!” , he remarked, while Venezuela is unable to emerge from its deep economic crisis and corruption scandals, in particular the case of the state oil company PDVSA, which in recent weeks has led to a series of arrests of officials and businessmen .
Ten years ago, on April 14, presidential elections were held ahead of Chávez’s death from cancer on March 5, 2013, according to authorities.
In his last public speech, in December 2012, Chávez referred to his medical conditions -after months of silence, mystery and long treatments in Cuba- and asked the people to elect Maduro president in case of sudden situation.
For his part, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, who assures that the military are Chavistas loyal to the Bolivarian revolution, stated, on the same social network, that for the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) it is “an honor” to accompany the president”.
“Ten years since that sovereign decision to continue the revolutionary process with Nicolás Maduro. For the FANB it is an honor to accompany him on this path,” said the military chief, the minister with the longest tenure during Maduro’s tenure .
suspicious elections
Maduro prevailed in the elections with a difference of 223,599 votes, less than 2 percentage points, over Henrique Capriles, the opposition candidate, who denounced that the process had more than 3,000 irregularities.
Capriles asked the Electoral Power for a recount of the votes, comparing the count sheets with the electoral registers and ballots, but this did not happen and the National Electoral Council (CNE) limited itself to authorizing a second phase of the citizen control of verify.
In turn, the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) rejected the appeal filed by the Capriles team to challenge the election.
He alleged fraud It sparked protests in various cities across the country, which were repressed by armed pro-government military, police and civilians, resulting in 13 deaths, according to unofficial figures.
After an initial six-year term, the president was re-elected in 2018 in the presidential election with the lowest turnout in Venezuela, with virtually no opposition and a wide international rejection.
Source: ANSA and EFE
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.