The Venezuelan opposition denounces the maneuver to stop the candidacy of Corina Llores

“I alert Venezuelans and the world to the ongoing maneuver to prevent the registration of the entire Democratic Unity candidate, Corina Llores, in the National Electoral Council,” said Maria Corina Machado, the current leader of the Venezuelan opposition and a primary candidate for the July 28 elections. Presidential elections. The appointment of academic Corinna Llores as an alternative candidate after Machado's exclusion was received with unanimous joy by opposition public opinion, which nevertheless fears that Chavismo will also try to stop her candidacy.

“The authorities must check at the state level whether the candidates meet the requirements, if they do not have some kind of judicial process,” said Elvis Amoruso, president of the National Electoral Council, referring to the problem of disqualification. “It is not about taking away political rights from anyone, as we mentioned. The rights can be exercised, but there are some restrictions, as is the case anywhere in the world.

Some sources point to tensions specifically within the National Electoral Council, the body that includes sectors of the moderate opposition, such as Democratic Action and Un Nuevo Tiempo, where two of the five main university rectors are on their side.

Spokesmen for Machado's campaign committee denounced that the electronic devices of the electoral branch had not yet accepted passwords or access to the system for the opposition cards accepted for participation in the upcoming elections, which in this case were only those of the opposition party Un Nuevo Tiempo and the Unionist Program Party – a signatory of the Barbados Agreement – As an alliance of all opposition parties.

Some election technicians responded in a general way, without direct insinuations, to Machado's claim, saying that some political sectors did not adhere to registration procedures. The talks held by María Corina Machado with Manuel Rosales, leader of the Un Nuevo Tiempo party, and other relevant actors, to reach an agreement with the party ticket that respects the popular mandate for the October 22 primaries, went on on good terms, by contrast. This is what many expected, such as Chavismo first.

As a presidential choice, María Corina Machado maintains approval ratings near 60%, three times those of Nicolás Maduro. The high government, which worked to divide and confront the opposition factions, soon announced to some politicians that they were unwilling to allow Corinna Lloris to continue with the “New Nations” or “United Platform” policies.

The deadline for submitting applications ends on Monday, March 25. In theory, all nominations, once accepted, will go through a short period during which there may be challenges.

“Will the unionist platform (having realized that it would be impossible to partner with Machado’s candidate) join the strategy of declaring the election illegal, ending up in the same process of abstention as in 2018, or will it decide to split before the deadline? And nominate a candidate.” Your own? He asked, “Will the platform decide to agree with any of the parties that have an active ticket on a candidate who can participate to protect itself from a possible vacuum?” Luis Vicente León, political and economic analyst and director of Datanalisis, asks on his social networks in a long post of reflections.

Maria Corina Machado declared that she was “aware of the challenge posed by the regime” and promised political responses “to all their maneuvers to prevent us from participating.” “No one will derail us from the electoral process.” In an unusually tight environment, new hypotheses begin to emerge in the opposition’s depths.

During these days, some dissident opposition politicians from the unionist programme, belonging to minority formations, were able to present their candidacies before the electoral authority, without major complications, all of them adopting a very moderate line against Chavismo and they agreed on some occasions. With Nicolas Maduro, who acts on behalf of his interests, on certain legislative, political and institutional matters.

This is Luis Eduardo Martinez, who heads the breakaway faction of the Democratic Action Party; Antonio Icarri, nominated by his Alianza La Pez party and the Cambimos and Avanzada Progresista organizations; José Brito, from Primero Venezuela; And Benjamin Rausio, the well-known comedian and businessman count Guacharo, Which participates in an independent format.

Each of them has its own discourse, but they made a great effort to present themselves as the “third way,” in the face of the excesses and mistakes of “both sides.” On Monday, likely with relief, interim President Nicolas Maduro, nominated by Venezuela's ruling United Socialist Party and some allied parties, must register his candidacy.

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