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.

CANDIDATES

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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ANALYSIS
VOTE

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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HISTORY
ISSUES
  • 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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