President Maduro Denounces Campaign To Discredit the Elections

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro Tuesday denounced that Henrique Capriles, who is a fugitive from justice, tries to discredit the December 6 parliamentary elections.

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During a political event of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), the Bolivarian leader pointed out that Capriles is aiming to sabotage the upcoming elections by starting a smear campaign.

To justify a change in the date of the elections, Capriles called on the European Union (EU) to evaluate the conditions of the democratic process, which supposedly would take place in a "calamity" prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Venezuela, however, the Constitution orders the holding of elections. For this reason, President Maduro ratified that citizens will elect 277 lawmakers among hundreds of candidates presented by different political groups.

He also emphasized that the outcome of the elections will not be determined by external actors such as the U.S. President Donald Trump or Colombia's President Ivan Duque.

The Bolivarian government has stressed its commitment to deploy all the political actions to guarantee a climate of stability and peace in the electoral process.

The health authorities have taken the necessary precautions so that the electoral process can be carried out without increasing epidemiological risks. As of Wednesday morning, Venezuela has confirmed 55,563 COVID-19 cases and 444 deaths.