No recall vote against Maduro this year: officials
VENEZUELA’S electoral authority on Wednesday ruled out a recall referendum against President Nicolas Maduro this year, all but dashing opposition hopes to oust him at the ballot box.
The National Electoral Council declared in a statement after meeting with the opposition and the government that “the event could be held in the middle of the first quarter of 2017.”
The council also set the rules for the next step in the process, deciding 4 million petition signatures, which represent 20 percent of voters, must be gathered over three days between October 26-28.
The opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) had hoped to hold the referendum before January 10 because it would trigger new elections if Maduro lost by then.
But if the vote is held later, his vice president would finish his term, meaning that the socialist government inspired by late leader Hugo Chavez would remain in power until 2019.
Oil-rich Venezuela has skidded into crisis as global crude prices have plunged since mid-2014, pushing Chavez and Maduro’s socialist model to the brink.
Venezuelans spend long hours lining up outside supermarkets and pharmacies only to find bare shelves and soaring prices inside. Shortages have triggered outbreaks of looting and riots.
The country is facing its third year of deep recession this year, with inflation set to top 700 percent, according to the International Monetary Fund.
The opposition alleges the electoral authorities are in bed with Maduro – along with the Supreme Court, which has systematically blocked opposition bills since it took control of the legislature in January.
Seeking leverage, the opposition has organised a series of protests. It estimates a million people took to the streets in the largest one on September 1.
Maduro calls his opponents “fascists” who are waging an “economic war” to destabilise his government, backed by “American imperialism”. To alleviate growing hunger, he has launched an emergency supply plan overseen by 18 army generals – one each for rice, beans, toilet paper and 15 other staples.