Brazilian government was slow to criticize Maduro | Sandra Cohen’s blog

Brazil and Venezuela exchange criticism after Maduro blocked yet another opposition candidacy in the country.

It remains to be seen what the extent of this reprimand from Lula to Maduro will be, which shows contempt for Brazil’s actions.

Brazil’s note does not even mention the persecution of critics of the regime and more than 30 arrests of opponents, which have increased since the beginning of the year, under the allegation, without evidence, of participating in five alleged plots to overthrow the regime or assassinate Maduro. When the Brazilian government spoke out, the chaotic electoral process was already dominated by the regime.

Nine of those incarcerated are directly linked to the campaign of María Corina Machado, who was prevented from participating in the election. Six leaders of his party took refuge at the headquarters of the Argentine embassy in Caracas, according to Argentine newspapers, where the Chavistas ordered the electricity to be cut.

Maduro always repeats the litany that in Venezuela there will be elections “with sun, rain or lightning”, but he copies the models of Nicaragua and Russia, removing his competitors from the election. The candidates who were allowed to register with the National Electoral Council do not represent any challenge to the country’s commander, who, according to independent polls, has only 20% of voting intentions.

Government control and interference disrupted the electoral process and, as in other elections, caused friction among the opposition. The entry of opposition candidate Manuel Rosales, at the last minute, generated distrust. Criticized by opponents of making an agreement with the regime, he claimed that he only signed up because professor Corina Yoris, appointed as María Corina Machado’s replacement, was unable to run her candidacy and Maduro’s opponents could not run out of space.

“I’m not coming to replace anyone, I’m not coming to take away anyone’s leadership, I’m not coming to separate anyone, I’m coming with open arms to rebuild Venezuela”, he explained.

After the deadline, the electoral body accepted the registration of a “buffer candidate” from the Democratic Unitary Platform, which brings together ten opposition parties. Instead of Yoris, the also unknown Edmundo González Urrutia, former Venezuelan ambassador to Argentina, entered.

In this turbulent environment, the hope of the coalition led by María Corina Machado is to try to replace the candidate with another, as early as April or up to ten days before the elections, as provided for in electoral legislation. But, like everything in Venezuela, the law is under Maduro’s command.