Venezuela elections: Maduro follows in Putin’s footsteps and bans most opposition parties for July presidential elections

He Nicolás Maduro’s regime banned most opposition parties and their candidates from participating in the July 28 elections, which caused a protest reaction by those affected, including the main candidate María Corina Machado, who condemns the exclusion and assures that nothing and no one will take her off the electoral path.

On the list of disqualified politicians who cannot register for elections, the National Electoral Council (CNE), the electoral arm of Chavismothey included the former governor of Táchira, César Pérez Vivas and Juan Pablo Guanipa of Primero Justicia for being critical of the regime, in addition to previous bans María Corina and Henrique Capriles.

In this Friday’s night meeting, the CNE eliminated 16 cards from opposing sides At the same time, he authorized 35 groups to nominate candidates, all loyal to the Chavista regime.

Which formations were banned

According to electoral issues expert Eugenio Martínez, the 16 organizations excluded They are: Forward, Centered, Single, Sum Country; ⁠Meeting with citizens, by Delsa Solórzano; Emerging people; Bridge, by Hiram Gaviria; Movement to Socialism (MAS), Nuvipa, UPP89; Unión Progreso, by Mercedes Malavé; Friend; Procitizens, by Leocenis García; FDC and those of the organizations belonging to the Unitary Platform, Convergencia, Movimiento Por Venezuela (MPV), of Simón Calzadilla and Eduardo Fernández.

The CNE included only two opposition organizations in its electoral offer: the MUD (opposition coalition) and the UNT (Un Nuevo Tiempo) of the governor of Zulia, Manuel Rosales. But this does not guarantee that they will ultimately be able to participate if the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), the legal arm of Chavismo, receive the order to eliminate themaccording to Martinez.

Governor Manuel Rosales, described as puppet of the party in power, he would have agreed with Maduro to let him participate in the elections. His somewhat ambiguous attitude is widely rejected by the opposition parties, one day he states that he will register and another he states that he supports María Corina.

In his desire to eliminate opponents in an election presented as a farce to perpetuate himself in power, Maduro, who he is running for his third re-electionfollowed in the footsteps of Russia’s Vladimir Putin, who this weekend won his fifth re-election in Moscow where he was declared the winner with more than 87% of the vote.

Both have received criticism over the implementation of the electoral system inside and outside Venezuela. Of the 1,500 machines intended for voter registration and updating, they only installed approximately 279 teams which will leave out most almost 4 million new voters.

In the outside This is where problems arise in Venezuelan voter registration. Due to the influx of nearly 120 recording machines in all countries will be available 8 million migrants. To register you must have a work letter, a residence card, a Venezuelan identity card and a valid passport.

Maria Corina protests

This Sunday evening, the candidate María Corina Machado who he won with 92% in the primaries Last October, he sent a message to the country on social media: “Rest assured that I will make the right decisions to advance on this path, with the participation and support of all sectors that want urgent change in Venezuela.”

Machado condemned the invalidation of partisan cards AND new arrests of political leaders and promised that he will make the “right decisions” for the good of the country.

He warned that if the elections are not free or competitive, but if Maduro prevails in the “wrong way”, then he will have to accept the “consequences”.

He gave no clues as to what will happen during the nomination registration period before the CNE, established between 21 and 25 March, but he made sure of that will be entered against all odds.

A few hours before her message on Sunday, the liberal leader had met with the parties of the coalition that supports her, the Democratic United Platform (PUD), in Carabobo, two hours from Caracas.

In the meeting with his allies, some leaders insisted that he clarify their doubts and asked him: Who would he raise his hand to if he couldn’t register?

María Corina replied to them: I traveled around the country and in no city did people ask me this question: why are you, the party leadership, asking this question?

Those who had asked and all those present They maintained a dead silence.

Then he said to them: “Ordinary people believe that I will register, why not you?”

The silence continued and he told them: “Trust me, we fight so that the government’s criminals do not consume that illegal insult to disqualifications”.

“The people ask that I be the candidate and our struggle, that of the party leadership, must be what the people ask for, who can no longer tolerate betrayals. If I don’t fight to register and don’t raise my hand in front of any politician of status, people will feel that I have betrayed them“him,” he added.

The silence was totaltranscended political sources.

“Believe me, I know what I’ll do, but I won’t say it. What I also know is that I will no longer accept any betrayal,” she said.