Maduro seeks to tighten grip
With the political opponents of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro boycotting tomorrow’s election for the country’s National Assembly, his socialist party is expected to dominate the vote, giving him control of the last major institution outside his grasp.
The opposition says the election is rigged, and has called its own referendum to counter it. Both votes are playing out in the waning days of the Trump Administration, which leaves office with Maduro firmly entrenched despite its efforts to oust him through diplomacy and sanctions.
By taking over the National Assembly, some experts say Maduro’s United Socialist Party of Venezuela will effectively smother the last remnants of democracy in the country.
Once an oil-producing powerhouse, Venezuela has been embroiled for years in a deepening political and economic crisis. More than 5 million people have fled the country in recent years, the largest migration after war-torn Syria, and hyperinflation has diminished the value of its currency, the bolivar.
Maduro, the hand-picked successor to the late Hugo Chavez, won a second term in 2018. But
the United States and several nations accused him of fixing the outcome by banning his most popular opponents from challenging him.
Opposition leader Juan Guaido rose to head the National Assembly in early 2019, declaring presidential powers and vowing to oust Maduro. The dramatic
move sparked massive demonstrations across Venezuela, and won support from dozens of nations.
The Trump Administration took the lead by hitting Maduro with punishing sanctions, targeting the state-run oil firm and cutting him off from billions of dollars annually. The US Justice
Department indicted Maduro as a ‘‘narcoterrorist,’’ offering a US$15 million (NZ$21m) reward for his arrest.
But he remains in power with backing from Venezuela’s military and international support from nations like Iran, Russia, China and Cuba. Maduro’s domestic allies also control the supreme court, prosecutor’s office and elections commission.
Maduro has campaigned for his party’s candidates – including his son and wife – promising to finally silence the right-wing opposition, which he accuses of inciting violent protests.
International bodies like the European Union have refused to send observers to the election, saying the conditions for a democratic process don’t exist.
Polls show that Maduro is widely unpopular, but Guaido’s once-high approval has fallen since early last year, as Venezuelans grow frustrated that the opposition hasn’t been able to topple Maduro. Rejecting tomorrow’s vote, the opposition will instead hold a referendum asking a list of questions to gauge support for ending Maduro’s rule, holding new elections, and seeking international help to solve Venezuela’s crisis.
Guaido is banned from TV and radio in Venezuela. Instead, he has appeared in public by talking with people waiting in long lines to buy fuel, or speaking to representatives of a teachers’ union.
Despite the boycott by the Guaido-led coalition, a small number of opposition parties not associated with him are participating in the election. Critics say this will allow Maduro to maintain the semblance of a valid contest.