With 58% of Venezuelans not showing up to vote, the ruling PSUV Sunday won regional and local elections by a landslide.
The mayor of a municipality in the western Venezuelan state of Yaracuy this week forced people to mark the homes of Covid-19 patients in his community with signs to prevent visits and prevent contagion.
Supporters of the late Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, should have a place at the table in a democratic Venezuela, US Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams said at the Atlantic Council in Washington this week.
President Nicolás Maduro consolidated his power even more by sweeping the elections to elect the municipal councils before an opposition that mostly decided to boycott the process since they consider that there are no conditions to guarantee a transparent election.
Venezuela's national election board announced the vote slated for April 22 had been pushed back to the second half of May, with a final date to be specified later, after a pact between Maduro’s government and some opposition parties.
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.
Four days before the beginning of an election year in Venezuela, President Nicolás Maduro announced on national television that he will grant a bonus of 500,000 bolivares, the equivalent of US$ 3.9, to those who possess the Carnet de la Patria, an identity document created by the government that serves to regulate the purchase of food and tools with which users can access pensions or bonuses of this style in exchange for their loyalty to the government party.