The Venezuelan ruling party is making Maduro its candidate for the upcoming elections

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday became his party’s official candidate for July’s long-awaited presidential elections, allowing him to enter a third consecutive term in office with no real competition on the horizon.

Not unusual for Venezuela, the elections have been plagued by controversy since Maduro’s main opponent, Mara Corina Machado, who won primaries against an opposition coalition with more than 90 percent of the vote, was disqualified by Venezuelan authorities from holding public office for 15 years. clothe.

Maduro accepted the nomination as the ruling United Socialist Party’s candidate for the July 28 presidential election at a party meeting in Caracas, saying he has the people’s support. According to the party, its decision was supported by more than 4 million members who chose their candidate last week.

A man alone wouldn’t be here. I am here for the people,” Maduro said. Here the candidate is not Maduro. Here the candidate is the people.

Maduro became president in March 2013 after the death of Hugo Chavez, whose down-home charm won him the affection and votes of millions. If he wins another term, Maduro would remain at the helm of the Venezuelan government until 2031.

Under his rule, the Venezuelan has fallen into a deep economic crisis, which has only been exacerbated by US sanctions. The crisis has prompted millions of people to migrate from the South American country, with many now heading to the United States.

The US government last year rolled back some sanctions on Venezuela’s oil, gas and mining sectors after Maduro agreed with the opposition to push for electoral conditions that would allow for a level playing field.

But the Biden administration ended some of the relief after the Venezuelan Supreme Court upheld a ban on Machado. It has also threatened to withdraw additional aid if Maduro’s government continues to defy the agreement.

The deadline for candidate registration is March 25, but so far Machado has insisted she will continue until the end, albeit without clarifying how she would circumvent the ban on office.

They believe that this is just one more election, one more electoral battle where they can run us over or deceive us, that we will remain silent and lower our heads. They didn’t understand it, Machado told supporters at various meetings.

First print: March 17, 2024 | 7:04 am IST