Two weeks after the Barbados agreement between the government and the Venezuelan opposition, the political dialogue is once again deadlocked, with clear signs of a new failure. The Electoral Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), a branch of the Miraflores Palace, suspended this Monday the results of the opposition primaries, which made the right-winger María Corina Machado the only candidate of anti-Madurism in the 2024 elections.
After Machado’s resounding victory on October 22, the president with 90% of the adherents Nicolas Maduro and their closest collaborators announced their disapproval of the candidate selection mechanism because it did not have the support of the National Electoral Council (CNE). Since that time They started talking about fraud went to the polls and disqualified 2.2 million people who went to the polls. The opposition immediately condemned the attempt to “judicialize” the primaries.
Machado’s victory was recognized by the USA. The Joe Biden Administration has expressed a desire to gradually ease economic sanctions if transparency and free competition are guaranteed in next year’s elections. A new scenario emerges from the latest political-judicial movements.
Jorge RodríguezHe is the main authority of the AN, who served as the head of the negotiating team and, in addition, was condemned before the media and part of the diplomatic community ” far right Last Sunday.” And he predicted what would happen as a result: “We will begin the necessary investigations into the illegal use of the identities of more than two million Venezuelans.” Rodríguez demanded “restraint” and “frugality” from the ambassadors, “not the number two of both Rodríguez and Madurismo Diosdado Cabello assured that fewer than 600,000 Venezuelans voted, any figure other than that “was unsustainable.”
TSJ said this Monday that it accepted the “controversial election” objection filed by José Brito, deputy of Primero Venezuela, a small opposition party with one seat in the National Assembly (AN, Parliament), on the grounds that it was “obviously inflated” against internal consultations He said he did. “Number of voters. The highest judicial authority is the National Primary Commission (CNP) “Unconstitutional and illegal actions”. Therefore, “all the effects of the different stages of the electoral process” that he organized were suspended.
Reactions and possible derivatives
In return, TSJ demands that the CNP provide the “administrative background” of the election process, “reviewing the schedule, election records, objection and liquidation periods.” The opinion calls for the inclusion of María Corina Machado’s candidacy. disqualification To hold public office for 15 years. The measure implemented by the Financial Affairs Department is “final”. With this measure, the Miraflores Palace reaffirmed its determination not to allow the Vente Venezuelan leader to compete in the 2024 elections or to include the lifting of the sanction in future negotiations.
Finally, TSJ gives CNP three days to explain the situation. “Mechanism used to protect election materials”. He also notified Attorney General Tarek William Saab of his decision because the primaries could “shape the alleged commission of electoral crimes and ordinary crimes,” as well as “alleged crimes against the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.” ”
Roberto Enríquez gave up participating in the primaries at the last minute. COPEI (Social Christians) rejected the highest court’s measure. “What effects could the TSJ measure have? None. Unless they want to underestimate 2.2 million people. There is a political fact that is realized by the will of the people: María Corina is the unitary candidate and we all accept it as such.” Another one of the defeated candidates César Pérez Vivas, He also rejected the judicial appeal. “The actions of Maduro and his circle will not erase the impact of a citizen determined to defeat them.”