Venezuela has announced that it will hold parliamentary and regional elections on April 27. However, the opposition has vowed to boycott the elections following last year’s vote, in which President Nicolás Maduro is widely accused of electoral fraud.
President Nicolás Maduro was sworn in for a contested third term earlier this month after claiming victory in the July 28 election. The opposition insists that their candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, won the election. The head of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Elvis Amoroso, stated that all parties and candidates must sign a document committing to respect the electoral process and the announced results.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado, currently in hiding, reiterated her call for a boycott of the upcoming elections. In a video posted on social media, she stated, “The elections were on July 28. That day the people chose.”
Maduro has been in power since 2013, following the death of his mentor, Hugo Chavez. His first re-election in 2018 was also marred by fraud allegations. Despite international pressure and crippling US sanctions aimed at forcing him to step aside, Maduro has resisted and remained in power.
The National Electoral Council proclaimed Maduro victorious in the July election without providing a detailed breakdown of the vote. The opposition published results from polling stations, which they claimed showed a clear win for González Urrutia, an elderly former diplomat who has since been granted asylum in Spain.
The United States, its partners in the Group of Seven leading economies, and several Latin American countries have backed the opposition’s victory claim. The international community has expressed concerns over the legitimacy of the elections and the democratic process in Venezuela.
The upcoming elections on April 27 are expected to be contentious, with the opposition’s boycott highlighting the deep political divide in the country. The situation remains tense as both sides prepare for the elections, and the international community continues to monitor the developments closely.
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