President Nicolas Maduro defends disputed Venezuela vote
October 17, 2017
The opposition and foreign governments had questioned the legitimacy of the weekend regional elections. Left-wing President Nicolas Maduro has said electoral fraud is impossible in the South American country.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Cubillos
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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro rebuffed international criticism of Sunday's disputed regional elections that ended with a shock victory for his ruling Socialist Party.
"Venezuela's election system is the most secure and audited in the world ... nobody can commit fraud," Maduro told reporters on Tuesday.
Socialist Party candidates were able to win 17 of 23 state governorships on Sunday while the country's opposition, the Democratic Unity coalition (MUD), which had been predicted to win a majority of states, won only five. As of Tuesday, Bolivar state was still to be declared.
Venezuela regional elections: What you need to know
Venezuelans will vote in gubernatorial elections on Sunday amid what the IMF has described as a "full-blown economic, humanitarian and political crisis with no end in sight." These are the key issues ahead of the vote.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M.Gutierrez
The election
Venezuelans will vote for governors in all 23 states on Sunday. The election had been slated for December, but the government-friendly electoral commission, CNE, delayed the vote after predicted losses for the ruling Socialist Party. The party has traditionally dominated state governor's offices, but recent polls have projected that the Venezuelan opposition will win a majority of governorships.
Image: Reuters/C. Garcia Rawlins
The challenge
Scrutiny of the vote's transparency is set to be intense. An election software company said authorities had tampered with the final turnout count after Venezuela's last election in July. The CNC has recently moved 203 polling stations from areas with strong opposition support. It said security-related considerations were behind the decision.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/F. Parra
The president
Nicolas Maduro replaced former President Hugo Chavez following Chavez's death in April 2013. Maduro's authoritarian reign has seen the rapid decline of the economy and a huge drop in support for the president's government. Maduro recently set up a new constituent assembly after his Socialist Party lost control of the country's parliament in 2015. The move led the US to label him a "dictator."
Image: picture alliance/dpa/P. Miraflores
The opposition
The Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) is the main opposition group in Venezuela. It was launched in 2009 and is made up of about 20 parties from across the political spectrum that oppose President Maduro. Key leaders include Henrique Capriles, Leopoldo Lopez, and Maria Corina Machada (pictured). MUD demands include restoring power to the parliament and releasing hundreds of political prisoners.
Image: picture-alliance/C.Becerra
The economic crisis
The Venezuelan economy has collapsed since 2014. Real GDP will have contracted by 35 percent in 2017 compared to the end of 2014 according to the IMF, and the fund predicts inflation to exceed 1,000 percent by the end of the year. Stacks of cash are needed to buy bare necessities. The crisis has also caused widespread food shortages and led many to flee Venezuela to neighboring countries.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Barreto
The political crisis
The economic crisis has undermined Maduro's popularity and helped fuel a political crisis. Security forces have repeatedly clashed with demonstrators calling for the president's removal. Despite losing the street and power in the parliament, Maduro's position is still relatively secure. He has the support of the military, the Supreme Court, and the newly created constituent assembly.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/R. Schemidt
The curse
Venezuela possesses the world's largest oil reserves, and for many years, the country benefited from selling its black gold. But a 50-percent collapse in oil prices in 2014 devastated the oil-dependent economy with government petroleum revenues dropping from $80 billion in 2013 to $20 billion in 2016, according to the IMF.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Sanchez
The future
A big win for MUD candidates on Sunday may not spell disaster for Maduro's government. The powerful Maduro-controlled constituent assembly could try to undermine MUD governors. State legislative assemblies controlled by the Socialist Party could also frustrate MUD governors. Once the dust settles on Sunday, Venezuelan's are set to vote for the presidency in April 2018.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M.Gutierrez
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MUD leaders have accused the government of rigging the election and refused to accept the results, while many foreign governments, including the US and the European Union, have condemned the vote as illegitimate.
"We will not take part in exploratory talks or negotiations unless (the authorities) agree to a recount," said MUD leader Angel Oropeza.
Rejecting those accusations, Maduro said that "our people have given a strong message to imperialism, to (US President Donald) Trump, to its regional allies and to the local right."
"President Donald Trump, I am not a dictator, not a rich magnate, I am a humble worker," he said in response to US condemnation.
All 23 state governors were set to be approved by the all-powerful Constituent Assembly on Tuesday.
But the five MUD victors said they would boycott the ceremony despite Maduro's threat to dismiss any candidates that refused to swear allegiance to the body.
Maduro had created the Constituent Assembly in July to by-pass the country's parliament, the National Assembly, where the MUD has had a majority since 2015.
Oil-dependent Venezuela has been in a political and economic crisis since international oil prices collapsed in mid-2014. Rampent inflation has left millions facing shortages of basic goods and services.
