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BBC News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Venezuela's ruling party claims victory despite opposition boycott
Venezuela's ruling party is celebrating what it has described as "an overwhelming victory" in regional and parliamentary elections, which were boycotted by the majority of opposition electoral council (CNE), which is dominated by government loyalists, says candidates for the United Socialist Party of Venezuela's (PSUV) - President Nicolás Maduro's party - won the race for governor in 23 out of the country's 24 to the CNE, the ruling coalition also won 82.68% of the votes cast for the National Assembly, Venezuela's legislative body. The main opposition parties called the elections a "farce". Opposition leader, María Corina Machado, said turnout had been below 15%. "More than 85% of Venezuelans did not obey this regime and said 'no'," Machado said about those who journalists who visited polling stations throughout the day said that they saw no queues and fewer people turning out than for the presidential election last CNE meanwhile put the turn-out at 42.6%.The opposition has long questioned the independence of the CNE, which is led by Elvis Amoroso, a former legal counsel to President CNE came in for widespread international criticism in last year when it declared Mr Maduro the winner of the presidential election without ever providing the detailed voting tallies to back up their claim. Venezuela's opposition, meanwhile, published voting tallies it had gathered with the help of official election observers which showed that its candidate, Edmundo González, was the overwhelming winner. Amid the wave of repression and arrests which followed the presidential election, González went into exile to Spain. Machado, who threw her weight behind presidential hopeful Edmundo González after she was barred from running for public office, remained in was the main advocate for boycotting this Sunday's legislative and gubernatorial elections, saying that the result of July's presidential election should be respected before any new elections are held."We voted on 28 July. On 25 May, we won't vote," she said in a video message shared earlier this month. However, a handful of opposition politicians did run for office, arguing that leaving the field open to government candidates was a them were former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, Zulia state governor Manuel Rosales and Juan Requesens, who was jailed by the Maduro government for allegedly taking part in a 2018 drone attack on the president. Capriles told Spanish daily El País that for him "voting in Venezuela is an expression of resistance, of resilience, of not giving up".Their decision to stand in the elections was criticised by those calling for a boycott, with Machado saying they had "betrayed the cause". With turnout low, President Maduro's PSUV party sailed to victory in 23 of the 24 gubernatorial races, up from the 20 governor posts it previously to the preliminary results of the legislative election, the coalition backing President Maduro won an absolute majority of the 285 seats. But three politicians from Henrique Capriles' opposition UNT party were also voted into the National Assembly, including Capriles himself. Maduro has hailed the result as a "victory of peace and stability" and celebrated the fact that his party had regained control of the states of Zulia and, in particular, Barinas, the home state of his predecessor in office and political mentor, Hugo Chá the state of Cojedes will now be in opposition hands, following the re-election of opposition candidate Alberto Galíndez. Sunday's vote was preceded by a wave of arrests, which saw more than 70 people with links to the opposition detained for allegedly "planning to sabotage the election".Among those detained is Juan Pablo Guanipa, 60, a close ally of María Corina Machado. The interior minister accused him of being "one of the leaders of this terrorist network" which he claimed had been plotting to disrupt the election by planting bombs at key sites. Machado said his arrest and those of dozens of others was "state terrorism, pure and simple". Venezuelan voters were also asked to choose representatives for the Essequibo region, a territory long administered and controlled by neighbouring Guyana which Venezuela claims as its own. The territorial dispute has been submitted by Guyana to the International Court of Justice, which had ordered Venezuela to refrain from conducting elections for representatives for the region, an order which the Maduro government Venezuela is not in control of the Essequibo, there were no polling stations in the territory nor did the people living there get a chance to vote. Instead, voters in a small district expressly created for the purpose on the Venezuelan side of the border were asked to cast their vote, which will have only symbolic value. Neil Villamizar, an admiral loyal to President Maduro, won the unusual vote and will now be declared "governor of Essequibo" by the Venezuelan government even though he has no power or control over the territory, which remains in Guyanese hands. The president of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, has denounced the move as a "scandalous, false, propagandistic, opportunistic" and has said he will "do everything to ensure our territorial integrity and sovereignty is kept intact".
New York Times
26-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Venezuela's Government Claims Victory in Polls Boycotted by Opposition Leader
Venezuela's electoral council, stacked with officials loyal to the autocrat Nicolás Maduro, claimed late Sunday night that his party had won an overwhelming victory in regional and legislative elections. The results, announced on state television and presented without evidence, stripped the opposition of some of the last few positions it held, including the governor's seat of Zulia, the country's most populous state, and the heart of its oil wealth. Despite near empty streets and polling places, the electoral council claimed that turnout was higher than 40 percent. There were no independent observers present to verify that assertion, and the electoral council did not post the results online, as it had done in elections before 2024. Some Venezuelans said the turnout also signaled loyalty to the country's leading opposition figure, María Corina Machado, who had called on people to abstain from voting. The announcement comes less than a year after a presidential election in which Mr. Maduro also claimed victory, despite a vote count that showed that he had lost decisively to his opponent, Edmundo González. That count was found to be accurate by the Carter Center, an independent monitoring group, which said Mr. Maduro's claim was a 'falsification.' Speaking on state television on Sunday night, the vice president of the electoral body, Carlos Quintero, said that an alliance of parties that support Mr. Maduro had won more than 80 percent of votes in an election for legislative seats. The same alliance had won governors' seats in 22 of the country's 23 states, Mr. Quintero said. Previously, four states had been held by governors not aligned with the government. Now, just one, Cojedes, in central Venezuela, will be controlled by a dissenting voice.
New York Times
25-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
In the Shadow of a Tainted Election, Maduro Asks Venezuelans to Vote Again
A year after he falsified the results of a presidential election, according to independent observers, Venezuela's leader, Nicolás Maduro, is calling on voters on Sunday to once again head to the ballot box. In the last vote, Mr. Maduro claimed victory despite a count that showed he had lost by a decisive margin. He then released a reign of terror on protesters, hundreds of whom are still locked up. This time, the election is for members of the legislature, known as the National Assembly, and for governors in the country's 23 states. No independent monitors will be present, and inside Venezuela many have said they believe that the results will once again be manufactured. Mr. Maduro is holding the election, analysts say, to project a veneer, however thin, of democracy. 'It serves only to give new life to the status quo,' said Benigno Alarcón, the director of the Center for Political and Government Studies at the Andrés Bello Catholic University in Caracas. And yet there are opposition candidates participating. The vote has reopened a rift among opposition activists, who had mostly united last year around the candidacy of Edmundo González, a former ambassador who won more than 60 percent of the presidential vote, according to a ballot count reviewed by the Carter Center, an independent monitoring group. Mr. González's most important supporter was María Corina Machado, a charismatic figure who had become the movement's undisputed leader, but whom the government had barred from running. Now, opposition figures and voters are divided over participation. On one side, Ms. Machado is calling on Venezuelans to abstain as a means of protest, claiming the vote is a 'trap' designed to legitimize the government of an autocrat. On the other, a cluster of other activists are not only running for office but calling on Venezuelans to head to the ballot box — also as a means of protest. Mr. Maduro might not allow Venezuelans to choose who governs them, they argue. But the vote can be used as a political weapon all the same, signaling to leaders that people want them out. The goal is that people see that opposition leaders are active — that they are campaigning, that an alternative is possible, that they are laying the groundwork for future democratic action. 'We can't just cede the path and let them say they won without resistance,' said Juan Requesens, 36, who emerged as a leader of anti-Maduro protests in 2014, then spent two years in prison and more time under house arrest before being released in 2023. Ahead of the election, the government lifted bans on political participation for a few opposition activists, including Henrique Capriles, a former governor and two-time presidential candidate. It is a tactic the Maduro government has used before — permitting some activists to run, while banning others — as a means to divide the opposition. On Friday, government agents detained Juan Pablo Guanipa, a prominent politician and ally of Ms. Machado's. Tarek William Saab, the country's chief prosecutor, argued that Mr. Guanipa was part of a criminal group that sought to unleash violence to prevent Sunday's vote, and said he had been detained along with 70 other people, including foreigners. The government often makes such claims about opponents. There are already roughly 900 political prisoners detained in the country, according to a watchdog group, Foro Penal. The debate over taking part in Sunday's vote echoes a similar fight that played out in 2018 among opposition figures, most of whom ultimately abstained from that year's presidential vote, allowing Mr. Maduro to easily declare victory. Ms. Machado has been sharing images online of banners hung by communities across the country, each declaring that they 'already voted' — on July 28, the date of the presidential election that Mr. González won. She declined to speak for this article. 'Empty the streets!' on Sunday, she said in a recent message to supporters. 'Let it be clear who has the power: you.' Mr. Requesens, a former legislator, is now running for governor of Miranda, next to the capital of Caracas, and the country's second-most populous state. Few expect that he will be permitted to win. He has been ousted from his party, Justice First, for participating in the vote. He set out with a small team on a recent day, campaigning on foot in the worn-down streets of Miranda. He greeted merchants and chatted with passers-by, distributing fliers with his image. Some recognized him immediately from the news; others, confused, said they were not aware of any upcoming vote. Several people asked not to be photographed near the candidate, saying they feared the government would use the images to punish them. 'People ask me, 'Are you scared?'' Mr. Requesens told a group of activists. 'I tell them: Dude, I'm scared to death. I don't want them to get me again. But I'm still leaving my house to give it all I have, because that's what I have to do, that's the only option left for me.' There are also ongoing divisions in the opposition over the Trump administration's approach to Venezuela. President Trump, reverting in many ways to a strategy he used in his first term, has tried to squeeze Mr. Maduro economically, revoking a license for the U.S. oil company Chevron to work in Venezuela, among other policies. He has also taken a hard-line on Venezuelan migrants, accusing many without evidence of being part of a gang, the Tren de Aragua, and deporting hundreds to a prison in El Salvador. Ms. Machado has supported the Trump administration's economic approach. And she has repeated the Trump administration's claim that Tren de Aragua is controlled by Mr. Maduro, an assertion that U.S. intelligence agencies have rejected, according to internal documents. Among the opposition candidates participating in Sunday's vote is Mr. Capriles, 52, the former presidential candidate, who is re-emerging on the political scene after years on the sidelines. He is running for a seat in the legislature. 'What Maduro doesn't want is for us to express ourselves,' he said in an interview. 'I believe the way to keep July 28, 2024, alive is by participating.' Mr. Capriles called Mr. Trump's support of ongoing sanctions in Venezuela a 'big mistake' that would impoverish more Venezuelans and lead to more migration. Mr. González, who vote counts show won last year's vote, is living in exile in Spain. Ms. Machado remains popular but, aside from brief public appearances, has been living in hiding, under threat of arrest, since the July election. A study conducted by Center for Political and Government Studies found that half of respondents still consider her the leader of the opposition, said Mr. Alarcón, the center's director. The same study showed that abstention might be the winner of Sunday's election: Just 20 percent of respondents showed significant interest in participating. Mr. Alarcón said that this would be among the lowest participation rate in an election in recent decades. As Mr. Capriles campaigned this month in Miranda State, a retired teacher named Morela Aponte, 65, watched from the sidewalk. 'Many people would like to shout 'traitor' at him,' she said, expressing her disappointment at his decision to run and support for Ms. Machado, 'but they restrain themselves out of politeness.' She would not be casting a ballot, she added. 'The government wants to portray normalcy internationally, but that's a lie. Democracy in Venezuela was lost 25 years ago' — when Mr. Maduro's movement took power. Others disagreed with that decision. Alexander Azuaje was selling sweet pastries as Mr. Requesens campaigned recently. He took a flier without hesitation. Mr. Azuaje, 27, explained that in 2018, he had been imprisoned for two months for participating in protests. After his release, he moved to Colombia to try to escape Venezuela's economic crisis. But he could barely make money, and came back in 2023. He had voted for Mr. González, but he felt that Ms. Machado had disappeared following the vote, he said, and was ready for new leadership. He didn't want more violence or political confrontation, he added, only stability. 'What I want is to earn at least $130 or $150 a week,'' he said. 'To be able to support my children and my wife. But in the meantime, I'm voting. Because if we don't vote, we have nothing left.'
The Independent
25-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Venezuelan opposition figures trapped in Argentine embassy speak for first time since leaving it
Five Venezuelan opposition figures who had taken refuge in the Argentine embassy in Caracas for over a year appeared in public Saturday for the first time since leaving the diplomatic compound. Now in the United States, they described their flight from Venezuela as part of an 'unprecedented' and ongoing rescue operation. The Venezuelan government denies it was a rescue, claiming instead that it was part of a negotiation. 'Our rescue, our escape, was an unprecedented operation,' said Magalli Meda during a press conference in Washington. Meda is a member of the opposition group Vente Venezuela, led by opposition leader María Corina Machado. Meda added that no details about the operation would be revealed, as it is 'still in progress.' Meda, along with Pedro Urruchurtu, Claudia Macero, Humberto Villalobos, Omar González and Fernando Martínez Mottola, took shelter in the Argentine diplomatic residence in Caracas after Venezuelan prosecutors ordered their arrest. They were accused of encouraging alleged violent acts aimed at destabilizing the government of President Nicolás Maduro which was cracking down on dissent following contested elections last year. Since late November, the group had reported being constantly watched by intelligence agents and police outside the diplomatic residence. They also accused the Maduro government of cutting off water and electricity to the compound — accusations the government has denied. Earlier this month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that 'after a precise operation, all the hostages are now safe on U.S. soil.' Meda called their exit a 'miracle' after spending 412 days in the diplomatic compound. She described it as 'a strategic operation involving many people and enormous risks.' The Venezuelan government continues to reject the rescue narrative and Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello called the move 'staged."
Associated Press
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Venezuelan opposition figures trapped in Argentine embassy speak for first time since leaving it
CARACAS (AP) — Five Venezuelan opposition figures who had taken refuge in the Argentine embassy in Caracas for over a year appeared in public Saturday for the first time since leaving the diplomatic compound. Now in the United States, they described their flight from Venezuela as part of an 'unprecedented' and ongoing rescue operation. The Venezuelan government denies it was a rescue, claiming instead that it was part of a negotiation. 'Our rescue, our escape, was an unprecedented operation,' said Magalli Meda during a press conference in Washington. Meda is a member of the opposition group Vente Venezuela, led by opposition leader María Corina Machado. Meda added that no details about the operation would be revealed, as it is 'still in progress.' Meda, along with Pedro Urruchurtu, Claudia Macero, Humberto Villalobos, Omar González and Fernando Martínez Mottola, took shelter in the Argentine diplomatic residence in Caracas after Venezuelan prosecutors ordered their arrest. They were accused of encouraging alleged violent acts aimed at destabilizing the government of President Nicolás Maduro which was cracking down on dissent following contested elections last year. Since late November, the group had reported being constantly watched by intelligence agents and police outside the diplomatic residence. They also accused the Maduro government of cutting off water and electricity to the compound — accusations the government has denied. Earlier this month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that 'after a precise operation, all the hostages are now safe on U.S. soil.' Meda called their exit a 'miracle' after spending 412 days in the diplomatic compound. She described it as 'a strategic operation involving many people and enormous risks.' The Venezuelan government continues to reject the rescue narrative and Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello called the move 'staged.'
