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Tens of thousands of applications have been received as the race to fill the 540 seats in Venezuela’s National Constituent Assembly enters its final stage.
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Online registration has been extended for another 24 hours by the Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro.
“CNE representative, Jorge Rodríguez, officially informed me that at 8:05 p.m. more than 30,000 candidates had registered for the constituent process,” the president said from the Miraflores Palace on Thursday.
Applicants include the Vice President of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), Disodado Cabello, and the Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez.
The criteria for candidates hoping to become a representative in the Constituent Assembly, include being a Venezuelan citizen, over 18 years of age and registered with the National Electoral Council.
The process will enter a new phase on Saturday, June 3, when candidates start collecting signatures in order to meet the necessary requirements.
This number must amount to at least 3 percent of registered voters.
According to a report from July 2016, over 19.5 million Venezuelans are registered to vote.
The right-wing opposition, which has been criticized for not condemning violence by some in its ranks as well as its refusal to engage in dialogue, has opposed this democratic process and has claimed that it is unconsitutional. However, the country's Supreme Court ruled last week that such claims were unfounded.
“The Constitutional Chamber has issued a clear, unequivocal, exhaustive ruling that the convocation of the National Constituent Assembly ... is constitutional and legal,” Maduro said Thursday.
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