MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

“Electoral charade”: Maduro clings to power at all costs

The Supreme Court of Justice issued a judgment ordering the exclusion of the opposition coalition Mesa de la Unidad Democrática (MUD) from the electoral process

On December 20 the National Constituent Assembly (ANC) - formed only by pro-government officials - decreed that political parties that did not participate for the last regional election a few months ago must be revalidated before the National Electoral Council (CNE), a rule that according to the the current constitution should be should be applied when absenting more than 3 times to the suffrages.

 However, the opposition received another blow last week when the Supreme Court of Justice issued a ruling ordering the exclusion of the opposition coalition Mesa de la Unidad Democrática (MUD) from the electoral process, claiming that since it is a grouping of several parties opposed the prohibition of double militancy. This partially annuls the CNE convocation ordered by the ANC with which the electoral body is ordered to reschedule the revalidation calendar, giving it 6 months to execute the order -a term that exceeds the ANC term to hold the presidential elections, before May, and makes it more difficult for the opposition to participate in the elections-.

Some more equal than others

Meanwhile, while outlawing opposition parties, President Nicolás Maduro launches a new one for the presidential elections, Movimiento Somos Venezuela. In his speech, Maduro did not specify whether the ruling of the Supreme Court against the MUD is applicable to this new movement. Does not double militancy matter if you're a Chavist? Is it less equal depending on the political tinge of your party? Whose campaign art, by the way, is suspiciously similar to that of Timochenko's election campaign in neighboring Colombia.

On the other hand, to date, only 5 opposition parties have a secure position in this year's elections: Avanzada Progresista, UNT, Copei and MAS; adding yesterday Acción Democrática (AD) after being validated to the CNE. On the other hand, Primero de Justicia, the party of Julio Borges, failed to collect the minimum number of signatures needed in several states of the country and must go to a second instance of validation between February 4 and 5.

The party with the largest number of voters in the republican history of Venezuela, Voluntad Popular, founded by Leopoldo López, has been the most forceful regarding these “legal” reprisals. The movement would not submit to what it considers an “electoral farce” and did not set out to revalidate itself before the CNE as Acción Democrática or Primero Justicia, which earned them the cancellation as a party. “Our struggle is to have conditions that reflect the popular will. If the Government continues for that breach we will not validate a farce. The spirit of the Unit is the same, everyone is aware that there are no conditions”, said the leader Juan Andrés Mejía. The party also left the dialogue table in the Dominican Republic due to the “breaches” of the government of Nicolás Maduro in the negotiation process, announced deputy Luis Florido.

The purpose of the regime with these hasty actions is, in addition to avoiding the passage of a time that will be devastating in economic matters, with a crisis of hyperinflation and hyper-devaluation; to cling to power regardless of the cost. Taking advantage of an opposition dislocated, fractured and unstructured that will not be able to face a presidential election together, nor organize a boycott in which a massive abstention occurs.

By Sebastián Astorga.