Venezuelans head to the polls for the fourth time in less that 1 year, this time, to elect the new president for the 2019-2025 term.
The vote takes places amid unprecedented pressure against the South American nation, including sanctions from the U.S. and E.U. which look to exacerbate the economic downturn faced by the OPEC member state since the steep drop in oil prices in 2014.
The country has also seen violent, opposition protests that looked to capitalize on the difficulties faced by Venezuelans, including rolling shortages and erratic pricing of goods and medicines, amid the factors that officials say constitute an 'economic war' against the country.
Some sectors of the country's political opposition have participated in Unasur facilitated dialogues, but did not sign a much-anticipated agreement.
teleSUR looks at the issues surrounding this elections, as well as the process and history of what some consider to be the most secure electoral system in the region, if not the world.
Nicolas Maduro
Luis Alejandro Ratti
Reinaldo Quijada
Henri Falcon
Javier Bertucci
Nicolas Maduro
Broad Front for the Homeland
- Diversify the economy through import substitution and agricultural development.
- Uphold the Bolivar as Venezuela's currency and strengthen the international market for Venezuela's cryptocurrency, the Petro.
- Expand public education
- Boost healthcare with new network for medicine distribution.
- Continue the housing mission by building five million new homes
- Consolidate the Carnet de la Patria, a special ID-card system for social protection benefits.
Luis Alejandro Ratti
Independent
- Allow business to have a place in government.
- Lift currency exchange controls, no dollarization.
- Keep social programs.
- “Transform” the organs of Public Power.
- New National Constituent Assembly.
- Re-establish relations with the United States, and encourage foreign investment.
Reinaldo Quijada
Popular Patriotic Union 89
- Macroeconomic stabilization, including higher gasoline prices, recovering oil production, reactivating the productive sector through dialogue with the business sector, promotion of agricultural development, and new international loans.
- Overcome the historical rentier economic model.
- Replace “indirect subsidies” like the carnet de la Patria with “direct subsidies.”
- Maintain ALBA, CELAC and UNASUR, and criticize U.S. interventionism and economic sanctions.
- Institutional reconstruction for transparency. Create a sixth Public Power to manage currency and economic affairs.
Henri Falcon
Advanced Progressive
- Dollarize the economy and lift currency exchange controls.
- Diversify Venezuela's historically oil-based economy.
Denationalization (i.e. privatization) of the hydrocarbon industry.
- Accept international aid.
- US$25 monthly cash transfer for all Venezuelans over 18. After 4 years only for “most needy.”
Javier Bertucci
Hope for Change
- Eliminate currency exchange controls, approve a legal framework that generates trust for investors, make Venezuela an international tourist destination.
- Open a “humanitarian corridor” to receive international food and medicine aid.
- Autonomy for the state’s five powers.
- Bilateral relations with all countries.
NICOLAS MADURO
HENRI FALCON
OTHER
Nicolas Maduro has served in various senior posts during the various administrations of the late president Hugo Chavez, including among them as head of the National Assembly, Foreign Minister and Vice President.
Maduro hails from working-class roots and was active in Venezuela's trade union and socialist movement. As such, he has been repeatedly attacked as 'unqualified' by Venezuela's opposition.
The incumbent is being supported by a number of political parties and movements that comprise the Great Patriotic Pole, or GPP.
Nicolas maduro
HENRI FALCON
Despite having a military background, Falcon left the armed forces well before beginning his political career. He was elected as a delegate to the 1999 National Constituent Assembly from Lara State, before going on to serve as Mayor of Barquisimeto and later, governor of Lara State until he lost the seat in the 2017 elections.
Falcon was affiliated with the pro-Chavez Homeland for All party and was elected governor of Lara State as a candidate of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) in 2008, before leaving the ranks of Chavismo due to his opposition for the 2009 Venezuelan Constitutional Referendum.
He is being supported as the presidential candidate by opposition parties including Progressive Advance, Movement for Socialism, COPEI and the Ecologist Party.
There are at least four other candidates contesting for the presidential spot.
Reinaldo Quijada is being supported by the '89' Popular Political Unity.
Evangelical pastor Javier Bertucci, the leader of the Maranatha Pentecostal Church, is running as an independent on a vow to “bring Jesus” to Venezuela.
Luis Alejandro Ratti is also an evangelical pastor, but prior to that he was a leader of a group called the Hugo Chavez Bolivarian Front.
26 FEBRUARY 2018
Registration Begins for Venezuela Presidential Elections
The window for candidate registration will close Tuesday, Feb. 27.
Venezuela's National Electoral Council, or CNE, opened official registration for candidates wishing to participate in the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for April 22.
Starting Monday, the CNE will be accepting formal applications from the candidates. The window for candidate registration will close Tuesday, Feb. 27.
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27 FEBRUARY 2018
How Voting Works in Venezuela
Venezuela's election process has been lauded by numerous organizations and observers not only for its high turnout, but also for the transparency and checks involved in the voting and scrutiny.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said "of the 92 elections that we've monitored, I would say that the election process in Venezuela is the best in the world."
Below are all the elements involved in the vote.
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ECONOMY
NOVEMBER 14, 2017
Venezuela: Between Economic War, Sanctions and Debt Squeeze
In his efforts to undermine the socialist government of Salvador Allende, U.S. President Richard Nixon famously gave the orders to make Chile's economy "scream."
This is precisely the situation Venezuela is facing, with U.S. sanctions limiting its ability to issue bonds while markets limit access to credit and transnational companies leave the country.
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DIALOGUE
25 FEBRUARY 2018
Venezuela Accuses Chile of Obstructing Dialogue in DR
Through Twitter, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister indicated that his counterpart from Chile hindered the dialogue process from the first day.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza denounced on Saturday that his Chilean counterpart, Heraldo Muñoz, dedicated himself to hindering the process of dialogue between the Venezuelan Government and the opposition that took place in the Dominican Republic.
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SANCTIONS AND DIPLOMACY
24 JANUARY 2018
The Origin Story Behind New EU Sanctions Against Venezuela
As a fresh round of sanctions is imposed by the European Union against Venezuela, teleSUR takes a closer look at the reasoning behind the latest embargo.
What do the EU sanctions against Venezuela prohibit?
The sanctions approved in Brussels, Belgium, on November 13 last year align with those imposed by Washington, DC – targeting 30 top Venezuelan officials,
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10 MAY 2018
Venezuela Elections: Who Is Nicolas Maduro?
Born on November 23, 1962, Nicolas Maduro was raised by his parents Teresa de Jesus Moros and Nicolas Maduro Garcia.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro rose to the fore after spending his formative years in a working-class neighborhood.
The only boy in the family, he had three siblings
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10 MAY 2018
Venezuela Elections: Who Is Nicolas Maduro?
Born on November 23, 1962, Nicolas Maduro was raised by his parents Teresa de Jesus Moros and Nicolas Maduro Garcia.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro rose to the fore after spending his formative years in a working-class neighborhood.
The only boy in the family, he had three siblings
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13 MAY 2018
Venezuela Elections: Who Is Henri Falcon?
Henri Falcon, Venezuela's former governor of Lara state and father of four, is considered to be the main opposition candidate running for the presidency against incumbent President Nicolas Maduro, the candidate of a coalition of left-wing parties, in the upcoming May 20 elections.
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14 MAY 2018
5 People Who Called for Military Intervention/Coup in Venezuela
The U.S. wants to keep up with its tradition of military intervention in Latin America.
People tend to give their opinion on almost everything, and that's fine, since freedom of speech encourages democracy and political thinking
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13 MAY 2018
Abandoning Peace, Faction of Venezuelan Opposition Boycotts Elections in Favor of Intervention
As Venezuelans prepare to go to polls on May 20 to elect a president and local legislative councils, some factions of the opposition have rejected participating despite several
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15 MAY 2018
What the US Could Learn from Venezuelan Democracy
When the Venezuelan elections are held on May 20, much of the world’s media, trailing the U.S. Department of State, will have already denounced the elections as “non-democratic” before they have even taken place.
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17 MAY 2018
Analyzed: The Western Media's Fear and Loathing of Venezuela
Humanitarian crisis, starvation, migration, repressive government, economic crisis, sanctions, resistance, Communist Party, Chavez, hyperinflation, crackdown on corruption, election fraud: just some of the keywords used by the Wall Street Journal
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