Venezuela: Five Days Ahead To Subnational Elections

On Sunday, over 20 million Venezuelans will go to the polls to elect 23 governors, 335 mayors, 253 state legislators, and 2,471 councilors for the 2021-2025 term.

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"Due to its complexity, this mega-election implies an organizational challenge, but everything is ready," National Electoral Council (CNE) President Pedro Calzadilla assured, recalling that 37 national organizations and 43 regional organizations registered 70,000 candidates for subnational posts.

The CNE is monitoring the development of the electoral campaign to ensure that the media maintains an informational balance and spaces for expression for all alliance candidates.

“This process is of great importance since it marks the end of Venezuelan opposition organizations’ non-electoral participation,” Calzadilla stressed and urged all politicians to continue competing for power in a democratic manner.

Main Electoral Alliances

The Great Patriotic Pole (GPP):  pro-government candidates make up this alliance, which comprises the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), the Homeland for All (PPT), Tupamaro, People’s Electoral Movement (MEP), Alliance for Change (APC), Venezuelan Popular Unity (UPV), Organization for Authentic Renewal (ORA), and "We Are Venezuela" (SV) parties.

Group of Four (G4): opposition politicians from Democratic Action (AD), A New Time (UNT), First Justice (PJ), Popular Will (VP), Progressive Movement of Venezuela (MPV) parties are part of this alliance, which will use the "Democratic Unity Bureau" card for the ballot papers.

The Revolutionary People’s Alternative (APR): This Alliance comprises candidates from the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV), We Are Lina (SL), Left United (IU), Revolutionary Labor Party (RLP), and Popular Political Unity (UPP89).

International observers 

Over 200 electoral experts from the European Union (EU), the Carter Center, the Latin American Council of Electoral Experts (CEELA), Tunisia, Benin, Indonesia, and Russia will participate in the upcoming elections as international observers.

These experts must respect the rules provided in the Venezuelan legislation for electoral processes and this Latin American country’s sovereignty and self-determination.

“It is reassuring to feel that so much experience will guide us in this process. However, we stressed that any detachment from the established rules will be interpreted as interference in the internal affairs of our country,” Calzadilla stated.

Dialogue process's assurances

On Aug. 12, the Bolivarian government and the opposition began a Mexico-hosted dialogue process to reach agreements that favor this Latin American country and respect its sovereignty.

In the first round of negotiations, both sides signed an understanding memorandum, in which they ratified the willingness to ensure that all candidates for subnational posts have equal conditions for developing their political campaigns and that the electoral process is conducted peacefully and democratically.

“We are convinced that these elections will leave great lessons of stability and unity for Venezuela," President Nicolas Maduro stated, stressing that the priority of every political candidate must be to work for the citizenry.