Maduro opponent accuses government of preventing candidacy

The opposition candidate for the Presidency of Venezuela, Corina Yoria, declared this Monday (25 March 2024) that she has no access to the CNE (National Electoral Council) system and is unable to register to run in the elections on 28 July .

Yoria said he tried to enter the registration data, but claims that the system “it is completely blocked”. The candidate requested an extension of the registration deadline, which closes at 1am (Brasília time) this Tuesday (26th March).

The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, registered during the afternoon of this Monday (25th March). Venezuelan leader made it official his candidacy on March 16th. In power since 2013, the candidate is seeking his 3rd consecutive term. If he wins, he will hold the position for another 6 years, until 2030.

“If they don’t let me participate and Maduro imposes a candidate, there is a vote, not an election. They are taking away the right to choose. They’re saying: Vote for this. It is a mechanical act. What we are looking for is not to vote, but to choose”Yoria said in a video https://twitter.com/yorisvillasana/status/1772293108702548035?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1772293108702548035%7Ctwgr%5E861078ef0d713b175bab9835c7b7f3b181fe8bcc%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.estadao.com.br%2Finternacional%2Foposicao-acusa-justica-da-venezuela-de-protelar-inscricao-de-candidatura-paises-vizinhos-criticam%2F on your profile on X (formerly Twitter).

The candidate was nominated by the opposition after María Corina Machado, former Venezuelan deputy and Maduro’s main political opponent, was prevented from running in the election.

Maria Corina is prevented by the Venezuelan Court to hold public office for the next 15 years, which, in practice, makes his candidacy for the Presidency unfeasible. For Venezuela’s Supreme Court of Justice – which is aligned with Chavismo, Maduro’s political movement –, she would have participated in a “corruption plot”.

Corina Yoris-Villasana, 79 years old, has a degree in philosophy and literature, a doctorate in history and a professor at Ucab (Andrés Bello Catholic University). She was recently nominated for the Venezuelan Language Academy.

Neighboring countries speak out

In a joint note, the governments of Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay stated that the problem with registering opponents is worrying and asked Venezuela to reconsider the deadline for registration. Here’s the complete of the declaration (PDF – 142 kB).

“This situation, together with previous disqualifications, raises questions about the integrity and transparency of the electoral process as a whole”said the countries.

Brazil remains silent

Until the publication of this report, Itamaraty had not commented on the matter. O Power360 contacted the ministry, but received no response.

NICOLAS MADURO

The president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro Moros, 61 years old, heads an autocratic regime with no guarantees of fundamental freedoms. He keeps, for example, people imprisoned for what he considers “political crimes”.

There are also restrictions described in reports from the OAS (on the “illegitimate appointment” of the National Electoral Council by an illegitimate National Assembly) and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (from October 2022in November 2022 it’s from March 2023).