A supporter holds up a poster of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during his final campaign rally in Caracas, Venezuela. (Photo: Associated Press)
Venezuela held elections on Sunday with President Nicolas Maduro seeking a third term, but the opposition remains nervous, fearing fraud.
Venezuela is holding what are considered its freest elections in decades, but the opposition continues to suppress campaigning. For example, María Corina Machado, a key opposition leader, is not running. The Maduro government declared the primary that selected her illegal, and she has since become a kingmaker by backing Maduro’s main challenger, Edmundo González, who is backed by the opposition coalition.
Opinion polls had predicted the opposition would win by a large margin, but parties fear fraud could cost them power, according to AFP.
Dozens of opposition figures were reportedly arrested ahead of the election, the news agency said, citing widespread harassment of the opposition.
In this context, opposition parties are concerned that while the elections are seen as relatively free, voting and counting may not be free enough to provide a level playing field.
Will Venezuela have free and fair elections?
Venezuela is holding elections in line with the Barbados Accord signed last year, but the Maduro government has been accused of violating some parts of the agreement.
The agreement obligated Maduro to hold elections and allow European Union observers into the country. It also lifted a ban on opposition members running for president. Maduro was also required to give the opposition a level playing field.
The elections went ahead as scheduled and the ban on opposition candidates was lifted, but several opposition figures were arrested and main opposition leader Maria Corina was barred from running in the elections, meaning that Venezuela’s elections can only be held partially freely.
As part of its crackdown on the opposition, the Maduro regime has launched a criminal investigation into several organizers of the primary elections that elected Maria Corina as opposition leader. The regime has also issued arrest warrants for several of Corina’s supporters and arrested several of her staff, according to the Associated Press.
President Maduro was re-elected in 2018 in elections that were widely viewed as fraudulent, and is now running for a third term, with the outcome remaining to be seen.
Maduro’s mismanagement and geopolitical crisis
For more than a decade under Maduro’s rule, Venezuela has been mired in crisis.
According to a Gallup poll, 68 percent of Venezuelans are struggling to get food, and even the wealthiest 20 percent (59 percent) say they cannot afford to buy food because of inflation.
According to the United Nations, the situation in Venezuela has worsened under Maduro’s decade-long rule, forcing some 7.7 million people to flee the country and seek refuge across the Americas.
A survey cited by The Associated Press found that 25% of Venezuelans want to leave the country, but 47% would stay if the opposition wins the election.
Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves, but production has declined over the years due to rampant corruption and mismanagement by the Maduro regime. Geopolitical tensions with the United States mean that even the oil it produces cannot be sold as normal, with heavy sanctions imposed on purchases.
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