100 days before the elections, anti-Chavismo tries to choose a coalition candidate

100 days from presidential election in Venezuela, The majority opposition is trying to choose a coalition candidate who will face at the polls Nicolás Maduro, who will seek his third term, while international observation for the elections remains undefined, in a country that is already experiencing a frenetic campaign.

The main anti-Chavista alliance, the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), has intensified its efforts in recent hours, with numerous closed-door meetings, to resolve discrepancies and determine a candidacy before Saturday, when the deadline for that candidate to appear expires. on the ballot.

In parallel, the electoral schedule advances, not free of criticism from the opposition, which denounces arbitrariness in the registration of voters and advantageousness on the part of the Government, which it accuses of “persecution” against opponents, some of them arrested in recent weeks.

Below are the keys to the Venezuelan electoral process:

1.- The opposition standard bearer

In view of the sanction that prevents the opposition leader María Corina Machado, elected in primaries as a PUD candidate, from competing in elections, the anti-Chavista bloc still has no clear candidate.

Although the alliance registered former diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia only to secure his space on the electoral card, it hopes to replace him with the name of its final candidate, which must be presented before Saturday, if it intends for him to appear on the July 28 ballot.

In addition, the governor of Zulia, Manuel Rosales – registered by the Un Nuevo Tiempo party (UNT), a member of the PUD – is seeking support for his candidacy, while the bloc continues to discuss privately who is the ideal person to receive the flag of the coalition and that, in addition, he has the approval of Machado as his replacement.

2.- Candidates everywhere

In addition to Rosales and González, another 10 opponents registered as candidates who have been proclaiming promises of change for weeks in proselytizing events and public interviews, although none, according to most pollsters, are among the two main contenders.

The candidates, some more vehemently than others, criticize Maduro and the PUD, who see them as a false opposition or as collaborators with the Government, except for former deputy Enrique Márquez, who has expressed his desire to receive the support of the anti-Chavista alliance.

3.- Conditions and guarantees

The National Electoral Council (CNE) met with exploratory missions from the Carter Center and the European Union, which have not yet communicated their decision whether or not to participate as observers, an aspect that the opposition considers vital to guarantee the legitimacy of the process, after that the last presidential election, in 2018, was widely questioned by the international community.

Likewise, the voter census closed on Tuesday, after 28 days of complaints about obstacles to registering or updating data, especially for Venezuelans living abroad. Despite everything, more than 600,000 young people will be able to vote for the first time in July, but the total number of voters who will be called to the polls is not yet known.

4.- Arrests

In unison, the Prosecutor’s Office and the Government report every week new plots of alleged plans by opponents to assassinate Maduro and cause chaos in the country, assertions for which they hold Machado responsible and which have served as accusations to issue arrest warrants against, at least a dozen anti-Chavistas.

While the opposition warns of a political persecution underway, Chavismo insists on calling its detractors anti-democratic and wanting to blow up the electoral route.

5.- The negotiation

Meanwhile, the efforts of Norway – mediator in the negotiation between the Government and the PUD – persist behind the scenes so that peace is imposed and Venezuelans can hold elections approved by all parties and internationally recognized.

Although the Government assured on Wednesday that it will not give in to opposition requests, practically every day a new possibility of agreement opens up, such as the proposal made by the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, to hold a plebiscite to guarantee the life and integrity of those who lose the elections, a matter on which Venezuela has not yet made a decision.

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