Maduro gears up for another six years
VENEZUELA: Venezuela has announced a snap presidential election, which may secure another six-year term for Nicolas Maduro, despite him having overseen the steepest recession in the country’s history.
The election, to be held on April 22, was announced hours after the ecollapse of talks between the government and opposition over the terms of the vote.
The opposition had called for several guarantees from the government, including the release of political prisoners and the reinstatement of politicians who had been barred from office. Those requests were ignored, which raises the possibility that Maduro may run unopposed.
Presidential elections in Venezuela are traditionally held in December. By bringing the date forward by eight months, the government has left the opposition in disarray. Its two most popular leaders are unable to run. Leopoldo Lopez, a former mayor, is under house arrest, accused of promoting violence. Henrique Capriles, a popular ex-governor who almost defeated Maduro in a 2013 election, has been barred from standing because of alleged budgetary irregularities while he was in office.
Although campaigning is not technically supposed to begin until April 2, Maduro held a rally of his supporters just before the election date was declared.
During 18 years of socialist rule in Venezuela, the opposition has struggled to unite under a single leader, a weakness Maduro – like his predecessor, Hugo Chavez – has encouraged. In recent weeks the president has been urging veteran opposition politician Henry Ramos Allup to stand in the election, although many younger voters regard Ramos Allup as being too close to the regime.
Maduro insisted that the vote would be fair. One concession he has agreed to is the presence of independent observers from the United Nations. Recent mayoral and governor elections, suspected of being fraudulent, were observed by select people invited by the government. – The Times