Events: Venezuelan presidential election (source: ČT24)
The people of Venezuela decided on a new president. Current head of state Nicolás Maduro is seeking a third mandate, but according to polls, the candidate of the opposition United Democratic Platform (PUD) Edmundo González Urrutia also has a good chance. The result, according to the AP agency, will either lead to fundamental change in a country facing a massive crisis or prolong the policies that have caused the world’s worst peaceful economic collapse.
The 21 million eligible voters had until midnight on Monday CET. The authoritarian regime made it difficult for Venezuelans abroad to vote. Out of almost eight million, only 69,000 managed to register.
Observers from, for example, the European Union were not allowed to supervise the elections. The police also detained high-ranking politicians from neighboring countries. In addition to Madura and González, eight other candidates participated in the election.
Right-wing politician María Corina Machado was banned by the regime from running for the presidency. But it is she who fills the square with opposition demonstrations. She was able to transfer her popularity to the replacement candidate of the United Democratic Platform – González.
According to the latest polls, González has a lead of several tens of percentage points over Maduro and could get fifty to sixty percent of the vote. According to the media, it is almost impossible that Maduro could succeed without massive fraud.
Venezuela elects a president (source: ČT24)
Transfer of power
“If González wins, not only the government will change, the entire political regime in the country will change,” said Ibero-Americanist Radek Buben. If the Venezuelan regime recognizes the eventual victory of González, it will be almost half a year before he assumes the presidency on January 10, 2025.
An extraordinarily powerful military is not the only factor that could thwart the rise of the opposition. According to the Ibero-Americanist, the movement of former President Hugo Chávez, which is currently in power, is also based on a strong criminal component. “These are so-called strikes by colectivos, which the regime does not even have control over,” he added.
According to Bubn, there is also a fear of provoking a conflict with neighboring Guyana. “These are elections that will be the last moment for more peaceful changes,” he believes.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva also expressed concerns. He called on his ideological ally, Maduro, to respect the results of the elections and to resign calmly in the event of a loss. “I was horrified by Maduro’s statement that if he loses, Venezuela is at risk of bloodshed,” said the Brazilian head of state.
Studio ČT24: Presidential elections in Venezuela (source: ČT24)
Economy of Venezuela
Due to the economic situation, people in Venezuela are very dependent on government handouts to buy basic food. According to Bubn, there could have been extortion of voters by the government and the opposition before the elections.
Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world and once boasted the most advanced economy in Latin America. After Maduro’s ascension to the head of the country, however, it fell into an ever-deepening crisis. Falling oil prices, poverty and hyperinflation led first to social unrest and then to mass emigration.
