Venezuela's National Electoral Center announced Tuesday that the presidential election will be held on July 28, Hugo Chávez's birthday. The electoral authority published it exactly today, the day the promoter of the political movement that ruled the country for more than two decades died. The exact date on the calendar that the entire international community has been waiting for triggers a complex and highly questionable electoral process in which the main opposition party, María Corina Machado, was excluded to make way for President Nicolás Maduro. The promotion takes place from July 4th to 25th.
Candidates can register between March 21st and 25th. What may seem like an unimportant administrative procedure in any country is essential in Venezuela. Chavismo appeared inflexible to the participation of Machado, who is at the top in most polls published in recent months. The courts, controlled by the ruling party, are hiding behind an alleged error he made in his spending during his time as a congressman, when he became known for dialectically confronting Chávez. The opposition chose her to run against Maduro in the 2024 primaries, which surprised everyone, especially Maduro. Two million Venezuelans took to the streets and voted en masse for Machado. It was a show of force by a politician who, a few years ago, held very extremist anti-Chavista positions, but recently moderated her positions to appeal to a broader public.
The international community has spent the last two years trying to convince Chavismo of the need for clean and transparent elections in which the opposition would have a real chance of victory. There was talk of a kind of democratic transition that should be carried out with the consensus of all parties. The government of Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron or Colombian Gustavo Petro have tried to promote this path of dialogue. Former Spanish President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was also a supporter. However, Chavismo argued that the international sanctions weighing on the country prevented any kind of agreement. Maduro even said that there would be no democratic elections if these restrictions were not lifted.
The government and the opposition, who have been sitting at dialogue tables for years to find a political solution to the very long institutional crisis in which Venezuela is mired, signed an agreement in Barbados in which they committed themselves to complying with the in The electoral calendar enshrined in the constitution states that they must take place in the second half of this year and makes it easier To opposition candidates. There are many who are disabled. In addition to Machado, this ban also burdens Henrique Capriles, who once ran against Chávez in the elections and was close to defeating him. With these Barbados agreements, Washington deemed it time to show political will and lifted sanctions on gas, oil and gold in October 2023. Venezuela could officially return to international markets and improve its very deteriorating economy.
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