Venezuelans Stage Demonstrations as Questions Mount Over Election Count
Thousands of people protested across Venezuela yesterday, and the government ejected several diplomatic missions from the country as doubts soared over the results of Sunday’s presidential election; electoral authorities said President Nicolás Maduro won the vote without releasing a detailed count as they have in previous years, while opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia said yesterday his team has evidence their victory was “mathematically irreversible” (AP)
While friendly countries including Bolivia, China, Cuba, Iran, Russia, and Serbia said they recognized Maduro’s victory, several other Latin American countries denounced his announced win; the Venezuelan government said yesterday it was cutting diplomatic ties with those neighbors, including Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Peru, and Uruguay (NYT)
Meanwhile, Brazil and Colombia issued more cautious statements calling for more data to be released (Bloomberg)
U.S. national security spokesperson John Kirby said Washington is monitoring events in Venezuela, and President Joe Biden is due to speak with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva about the matter today (Reuters)
U.S. Voices ‘Serious Concerns’ After Incumbent, Opposition Both Declare Victory in Venezuela
Venezuela’s electoral authority said that the Nicolás Maduro government won yesterday’s presidential election with 51.2 percent of votes against the opposition’s 44.2 percent, but the results were immediately called into question by several officials in the region (Al Jazeera)
Opposition leader María Corina Machado said “we won and the whole world knows it;” she added the declared result was “impossible” given information her team had tracked about turnout, while polls before the election widely predicted an opposition victory (NYT)
U.S. Secretary of State Blinken said Washington had “serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people” (WaPo)
Venezuelans Prepare for Presidential Vote Showing Strong Opposition Challenge
Venezuelans will vote Sunday in an election preceded by extensive international negotiations aimed at committing President Nicolás Maduro to competitive electoral conditions; past votes under his ruling Socialist party have been marred by reports of its interference (CNBC)
Though Maduro has already broken some of his commitments in recent months to make the vote competitive, polls suggest the possibility of a sweeping opposition victory (NYT)
Trump Administration Reissues License for Chevron to Produce and Export Oil From Venezuela
Washington had canceled the license around four months ago, saying the move was due to President Nicolás Maduro’s undemocratic election and Caracas’s initial reluctance to accept U.S. deportees; an unnamed State Department official told journalists that Maduro’s government was still illegitimate, but that Washington would help U.S. companies (WaPo)
Brazil Cancels Election Observation Mission to Venezuela
Brazil’s top electoral court said it will no longer send observers to Venezuela’s Sunday election after “false statements” were made against Brazilian electronic voting machines; Brazil’s statement did not mention Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by name, though Maduro said on Tuesday that Venezuela’s voting system was more trustworthy than Brazil’s (Bloomberg)
Argentina, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Paraguay, and Uruguay Issue Joint Statement of Concern Ahead of July 28 Presidential Election
The countries expressed concern over the Venezuelan government’s “harassment and persecution” of opposition figures (MercoPress)
Venezuelan rights group Foro Penal said 102 people linked to the opposition had been detained this year, many of whom have since been released (Bloomberg)
Watchdog: Around Seventy-Seven Venezuelan Opposition Figures Detained Since Campaign Launch
Authorities have detained opposition supporters and aides since Venezuela’s presidential campaign began on July 4, Caracas-based rights group Foro Penal said; many of those detained have since been released, the group’s co-director said (Bloomberg)
Venezuelan Opposition Leader Predicts Victory in July Elections Barring ‘Monumental Fraud’
One of Venezuela’s best-known opposition leaders, María Corina Machado, told the Financial Times that only ‘monumental fraud’ can stop incumbent Nicolás Maduro’s defeat in July’s presidential election (FT). This comes as the Venezuelan opposition also claims Maduro banned ten mayors from holding political office for supporting their candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia; the Carter Center confirmed yesterday it will send a mission to Venezuela to oversee the elections (The Latin Times)
Venezuelan Opposition Reports Four Activists Detained in Recent Days
Opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia denounced the arrests, while Venezuela’s attorney general’s office did not immediately comment; the opposition leads in the polls ahead of an election scheduled for July 28 (Reuters)
Maduro’s United Socialist Party Works to Garner Electoral Support
Incumbent president Nicolás Maduro and his United Socialist Party are implementing a new voter organizing campaign to register pro-Maduro voters in the weeks before the country’s presidential elections in July (AP)
AP: Maduro Victory in July Election Would Prompt Many Venezuelans to Leave
In a nationwide poll conducted last month, about 47 percent of respondents who are thinking about leaving said an electoral win by the opposition would push them to stay (AP)
EU Temporarily Lifts Sanctions on Venezuelan Election Official
The relief is designed to encourage a free and fair presidential vote on July 28, even while the European Union (EU) extended other sanctions against Venezuela yesterday; the EU is currently negotiating access with Venezuela to monitor the upcoming vote (Bloomberg)
Venezuelan Government Reneges on Pledge to Allow Opposition Aides Safe Passage to Argentina
Six Venezuelan opposition aides are sheltering at the Argentine embassy in Caracas, seeking safe passage to Argentina, an unnamed official from Argentina’s foreign ministry told Reuters; Venezuela’s information ministry did not immediately comment on the matter (Reuters)
Venezuela’s Opposition Candidate Aims to Guarantee Freedom of Political Prionsers, Return of Exiles
Edmundo González made the promises in his first public remarks since becoming the opposition candidate for the July election; he said in a separate interview that if he wins, he would be open to negotiations with the government to ensure a peaceful transition of power (Reuters)
Washington Announces Oil Sanctions Snapback on Venezuela
The United States announced that it will reimpose oil and gas sanctions previously lifted in October after the Nicolás Maduro government failed to meet U.S. demands regarding the competitiveness of this year’s presidential election (NYT)
Oil giant Chevron will retain permission to extract oil under a separate license, and the Treasury Department is encouraging other companies to apply for specific licenses to do the same (WaPo)
Journalist Arrested for Possible Complicity in Assassination Attempts Against Venezuela’s President
Carlos Julio Rojas, who is known as an outspoken critic of the Venezuelan government, was identified as an initiator of the assassination attempt on President Nicolás Maduro (Reuters)
U.S., Colombia Hold Meetings With Venezuela Over Upcoming Election
U.S. and Venezuelan officials met in Mexico City while Colombian President Gustavo Petro traveled to Caracas on Tuesday as part of efforts to urge the Venezuelan government to make reforms regarding conditions for the July 28 presidential election, unnamed sources told Bloomberg; Washington has threatened to reimpose oil and gas sanctions on Venezuela if certain conditions for the election are not met (Bloomberg)
Venezuela’s Former Oil Minister Arrested in Corruption Probe
Tareck El Aissami had resigned unexpectedly last year (AP)
Venezuela Invites Election Monitors Ahead of July 28 Vote
Caracas has invited organizations such as the EU, Carter Center, and United Nations to oversee its presidential election, Venezuela’s foreign minister said; Venezuelan authorities’ decision to block opposition candidates from registering to be on the ballot prompted broad regional criticism last week (Bloomberg)
Opposition Coalition Successfully Registers Placeholder Presidential Candidate
Edmundo González was registered, after the opposition coalition’s chosen candidate, Corina Yoris, was unable to sign up ahead of a deadline earlier this week; Venezuela’s government is under international scrutiny over attempts to tilt the playing field of this year’s presidential election (NYT)
Main Opposition Coalition Unable to Register Favored Presidential Candidate
The main opposition coalition said it was unable to access the site where it would register its favored presidential candidate ahead of a midnight deadline (BBC)
Would-be candidate Corina Yoris said her rights were being violated, and seven Latin American governments publicly called on Venezuela to allow candidate registrations (Bloomberg)
Venezuela, Mexico Agree on Migrant Returns
Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena said that Venezuelan migrants will receive jobs and a $660 stipend if they return to Venezuela as part of a new joint program; she did not specify how many migrants would be part of the program (Bloomberg)
Venezuelan Authorities Detain Staffers of Opposition Candidate
Venezuela’s attorney general accused nine staffers working for opposition candidate María Corina Machado of a violent anti-government conspiracy, charges Machado rejected as false; at least two of her staff have been arrested (AP)
Hours earlier, the head of an expert panel investigating human rights abuses in Venezuela said the government had increased repression of opponents ahead of this year’s election (WaPo)
Venezuelan Authorities Announce July 28 Election Date
María Corina Machado, Venezuela’s most popular opposition presidential hopeful, remains barred from running, and the new timeline that comes months earlier than expected establishes a tight March 25 deadline for opposition candidates to register (BBC)
Last year, the United States lifted some sanctions on Venezuela after the government made pledges regarding the timeline and conditions for elections; it has since threatened to reimpose them after Venezuela’s top court upheld Machado’s ban (Al Jazeera)
UN Human Rights Agency Ordered to Leave Venezuela
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has seventy-two hours to the leave the country, according to the statement by Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil; the announcement came after several UN agencies released statements condemning the arrest of prominent human rights activist Rocío San Miguel last week (NYT)