2023-10-18 02:51:00
The government and opposition of Venezuela agreed this Tuesday that The next presidential elections will be held in the second half of 2024 with international observers such as the European Union (EU). However, they did not leave room for disqualified politicians to apply.
In the document, signed in Barbados within the dialogue process mediated by Norway, the president’s delegation Nicolas Maduro and the so-called Unitary Platform propose “that the presidential electoral process be carried out in the second half of 2024, in accordance with the constitutional schedule.” The agreements signed between the parties establish political rights and electoral guaranteesas well as the lifting of sanctions and respect for the sovereignty of Venezuela, as reported by the Venezuelan national television channel.
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The elections will be held in the second half of 2024 following the selection by each political actor of their candidates, “freely and in accordance with their internal mechanisms.” Nicolás Maduro, president since 2013, is expected to run for re-election, but has not yet formalized the candidacy. The date of the elections will be defined by the National Electoral Council (CNE), whose board was renewed in August.
In addition, the letter requests an update of the electoral registry, including abroad, a request from the opposition, and that “technical electoral observation missions” are invited. Among them, the EU, highly criticized by Chavismo following its observation in the 2021 regional elections, the UN panel of electoral experts, the African Union, the Inter-American Union of Electoral Organizations and the Carter Center.
The Venezuelan president almost immediately celebrated the agreement on the X network (formerly Twitter): “In any circumstance we have always sought dialogue; This path has not been easy, but thanks to the conscience and strength of our heroic people, little by little we are moving forward.”
“With the signing of these agreements we are taking the first step towards the full lifting of all sanctions, the progressive recovery of social well-beingeconomic growth, the consolidation of peace and democracy, within the framework of full sovereignty and national independence. Long live the people! “Victory!”, highlighted the president.
“This is the first step of a much broader agreement that is in full evolution, its construction and execution,” celebrated the head of the government delegation. Jorge Rodriguez. “Today we sign an important agreement, we take a solid step that paves the way for us to regain our confidence in the vote,” she said. Gerard Blyderepresentative of the opposition.
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The dialogue process between the government and the opposition Unitary Platform coalition It began in August 2021 and has since been interrupted twicethe last in November 2022, following Maduro’s delegation conditioned the dialogue on the disbursement of $3 billion of frozen Venezuelan funds abroad.
Tuesday’s meeting, held on the Caribbean island of Barbados, It was the first in 11 months between the parties. The talks, aimed at providing a way out of Venezuela’s protracted political and economic crisis, will continue at an as yet undetermined date, according to the agreement.
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One point that remained unresolved was related to political disqualifications., a flag for the opposition that calls them unconstitutional. The Maduro government banned prominent opposition figures, such as María Corina Machado, from running.
In this regard, the agreement talks regarding allowing all candidates “as long as they meet the established requirements to participate in presidential re-election, consistent with the procedures established in Venezuelan law.” In this way, Corina Machado, the favorite to win the opposition primaries that will be held on Sunday, might not formalize her candidacy once morest Maduro because she is prohibited from holding public office. for 15 years.
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Blyde spoke of “a route for the disqualified and political parties to quickly recover their rights”, but Rodríguez was categorical in closing the door. “If you committed a crime and were sentenced for that crime, you cannot be a candidate, and if you received an administrative disqualification from the body to which it corresponds, which is the Comptroller’s Office, then you cannot be a candidate either,” he concluded.
Mariano de Alba, senior advisor of the International Crisis Group, told the AFP what It was “unlikely that the disqualifications would be resolved”.
Expectations regarding sanctions and oil
The agreements are expected to pave the way for US provides some flexibility from oil-related sanctions. In that sense, Washington stated for a long time that he would raise some in exchange for democratic concessions from the president.
This was reported by US sources, who indicated that they are waiting for Joe Biden’s government to announce some type of limited, but significant, flexibility. However, they added, Any sanctions relief would be reversible if Maduro fails to do so.
In this regard, according to sources cited by The Washington Post, There is already a principle of agreement between the US and Venezuelan administrations to alleviate punishments related to the oil industry, a key source of income for the South American country.
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Rodríguez stressed that The government’s “supreme objective” in the negotiations is “the lifting of sanctions”. “The United States is interested in normalizing relations a little, not so much for political incentives, but more than anything for the benefit of its national interest, which is absolutely economic,” said political consultant Pablo Quintero.
The resumption of negotiations coincided with an agreement between Maduro and Washington to deport undocumented Venezuelansdespite not formally recognizing him as president, and on the eve of the opposition primary elections scheduled for October 22.
The reaction of the Argentine Government and other countries
Different countries celebrated the agreement between the Venezuelan ruling party and the opposition. One of them was the Argentinawho expressed “his satisfaction” with the fact through social networks.
“Argentina expresses its satisfaction with the signed agreement that It is progress in the resumption of negotiations in Venezuela between the Government and the opposition. “Our country was present reaffirming its commitment to dialogue as the only tool to resolve conflicts,” the Foreign Ministry said on its X (formerly Twitter) account.
And he added: “The Argentine Republic promotes the development of an electoral roadmap for 2024 and the removal of sanctions that punish the Venezuelan people“.
For its part, USA He received with “satisfaction” the news that the ruling party and the opposition were going to resume talks. “The United States welcomes the announcement by representatives of Maduro and the Unitary Platform to resume negotiations led by Venezuela in Barbados,” said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller in a statement.
In this sense, he noted that Washington, together with “like-minded partners and other friends of Venezuela, will continue its efforts to unite the international community in support of the negotiation process led by Venezuela“.
Likewise, the Foreign Minister of Colombia, Álvaro Leyva, also celebrated the resumption of negotiations between the different political actors in Venezuela, assuming that in this way progress might be made towards holding “free elections.” Leyva had confirmed in his X account that he traveled to Barbados: “I am witnessing the culmination of the political agreement between Venezuelan government and opposition to advance free elections. Colombia’s role has been transcendental.”
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