The main Venezuelan opponent, Maria Corina Machado, made ineligible by the government, distanced herself from the only candidacy of an opposition heavyweight accepted by the National Electoral Council (CNE) to face outgoing President Nicolas Maduro on 28 July, accusing the government of having
“chosen”
its rivals.
“What we denounced for many months ended up happening: the regime chose its candidates
,” declared Tuesday Ms. Machado, who had won the opposition primary handily and seemed to be able to rally behind her the together of an opposition often divided in the past.
Accused of corruption
Ineligible, accused by the government of corruption and of supporting a foreign invasion - which she has always denied - Ms. Machado had chosen Corina Yoris, an academic philosopher unknown in politics, aged 80, to replace her.
However, the opposition coalition Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) failed to register it on the CNE website before the end of the deadline for the presentation of candidacies on Monday at midnight.
Many observers and opponents believe that the CNE, often accused of being at the behest of those in power, deliberately blocked the candidacy of Corina Yoris.
Brazil and Colombia expressed their
“concern”
on Tuesday about the evolution of the Venezuelan electoral process, while Uruguayan Foreign Minister Omar Paganini believed that Venezuela
was “consolidating itself as a dictatorship”
.
The White House said it was
“very concerned”
by the blocking of Ms. Yoris’s candidacy.
“My candidate is Corina Yoris
,” insisted Ms. Machado on Tuesday.
“No one is going to take us off the electoral road.
We will fight to the end
. ”
“There are deep disappointments, a lot of anger.
The country has the right to know the whole truth: the PUD was not authorized to register Dr. Corina Yoris
,” she added.
“Worst scenario”
An old hand in politics, Manuel Rosales, 71, already a candidate against Hugo Chavez in 2006 and governor of the oil state of Zulia (northwest), was able to register before the closing time for applications.
But he is far from unanimous in the opposition, where he is criticized for his regular contacts with Mr. Maduro since he became governor again in 2021.
Ms. Machado always kept her distance from him, but Mr. Rosales supported the line defended by Ms. Machado before playing his personal card in the last hours, registering at the last minute.
“I had to make a decision: whether to open a space for Venezuelans to vote or to abstain and have Maduro stay in office for six more years
,” Rosales said at a later press conference. to that of Ms. Machado.
“There have been many obstacles but there is no other alternative: only the electoral route. I'm not here to take away leadership from anyone. I come with open arms
,” he added, not ruling out a rapprochement with Ms. Machado.
“He showed that he was a very pragmatic man, who knows how to adapt to circumstances and who is never reluctant to negotiate
,” said political analyst Maria Alexandra Semprun.
Inheriting “Chavismo”
On the power side, everything is simple.
Mr. Maduro, who succeeded his mentor Hugo Chavez (1999-2013) upon his death in 2013, will seek a third six-year term.
The entire machine of the State and Chavism is already in motion.
“I swear to you, on my mother, on my father, on the Holy Trinity, that on July 28, the 70th birthday of Comandante Chavez, we will beat them again,”
Mr. Maduro declared Monday when filing his candidacy in the presence of thousands of supporters.
Nicolas Maduro, 61, is the heir of
“Chavismo”
for a
“socialism of the 21st century”
based on nationalization, a strong presence of the State and the military apparatus.
More than 60 countries, including the United States, did not recognize his re-election in 2018, boycotted by the opposition.
This non-recognition led to economic sanctions targeting in particular the country's oil sector.
The government can in any case rub its hands with opposition divisions before the single-round vote.
For political scientist Yoel Lugo,
“the worst scenario for the opposition is to maintain the tone of internal tension which, with division and demoralization, is the perfect equation for the demobilization of the opposition.
This is precisely the strategy that allows Nicolas Maduro to stay in power
.