Venezuela’s opposition elections commission announced on Monday that it will proceed with its scheduled date of October 22 to elect a candidate to compete against the ruling party in the upcoming presidential vote next year. This decision comes after the national electoral council requested a delay.
The National Electoral Council (CNE) had previously responded to a request made in June to assist the opposition’s primary elections, stating that it could provide assistance, such as voting centers and machines, only if the date was pushed to November 19 to allow for confirmation of details.
Despite the CNE’s request, a majority of 13 opposition candidates rejected the proposal to delay the primary elections.
In a statement issued on Monday, the opposition elections commission explained, “We could not disrupt the organization of the primary vote,” and urged electoral authorities to consider the slow response from the CNE, which underwent internal restructuring after the resignation of some members in June.
The commission, which consists of eight lawyers and experts, has requested up to 400 additional voting centers, as well as security measures and assistance with visas for electoral experts and foreign journalists covering the process.
It is currently unclear how or when the CNE will respond to these requests.
Jesus Maria Casal, the president of the commission, revealed that the opposition has identified around 3,000 electoral centers throughout the country, with nearly half of them located in private homes, squares, and professional centers.
As for the usual practice of using approximately 14,000 Venezuelan schools as electoral centers for the country’s 20 million voters, this is not possible for the primary elections since they are being conducted independently and require authorization from the CNE.
Venezuelan authorities have faced criticism from Washington for banning certain opposition candidates, including Maria Corina Machado, who is considered to be the favorite in the primary vote. In recent months, discussions have been taking place between the government of President Nicolas Maduro, the opposition, and the United States in order to establish an agreement for ensuring a free and fair electoral process.
Reporting by Vivian Sequera and Mayela Armas; Writing by Sarah Morland.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
