Venezuela's opposition has said it won't be bullied out of participating in future elections, a day after threats by President Nicolas Maduro. The US said it stands with Venezuelans as they "seek to restore democracy."
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/W. Riera
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Juan Andres Mejia, a leader of the opposition party Voluntad Popular, called Sunday's mayoral elections a "farce" but vowed to take part in future elections.
"What we saw yesterday was an electoral farce that in no way represents the will of the people," Mejia said Monday, citing abuse of state resources and coercion of government employees to vote.
"This party does not kneel," Mejia said. "This party does not back down and does not give up on its principles."
On Sunday, three of the four largest opposition parties refused to take part in the mayoral vote, the last nationwide elections before the 2018 presidential race in which President Nicolas Maduro is expected to seek another term.
Maduro said Sunday that opposition parties would be banned from future elections as punishment for boycotting the mayoral vote, at which Maduro's ruling Socialist Party won 308 of 335 seats, according to the government.
"A party that has not participated today cannot participate anymore," Maduro said in televised comments. "They will disappear from the political map."
At a rally held Sunday in Caracas, Maduro announced his party's electoral success as hundreds of supporters shouted "Go home, Donald Trump!"
"The imperialists have tried to set fire to Venezuela to take our riches," Maduro told the crowd. "We've defeated the American imperialists with our votes, our ideas, truths, reason and popular will."
US condemnation
On Monday, US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert condemned Maduro's threat in a tweet as "yet another extreme measure to close the democratic space" in Venezuela and consolidate power in an "authoritarian dictatorship."
"A presidential election cannot be legitimate if candidates and parties cannot freely participate," she said. "We stand with the Venezuelan people as they seek to restore their democracy."
Julio Borges, president of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, took his case against Maduro to the Vatican on Monday, meeting with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state and the former papal nuncio in Caracas.
"We agree that humanitarian cooperation and a free vote are the priorities at this moment," Borges said.
Demonstrators clashed with riot security forces while rallying against Maduro in protests earlier this yearImage: Reuters/M. Bello
Inflation, shortages, threats to democracy
Venezuela has seen months of protests that left over 120 dead. It now faces US economic sanctions as it seeks to refinance a huge international debt.
Despite being an oil-rich country, Venezuela has struggled with triple-digit inflation, food and medicine shortages and claims that Maduro's government has undermined democracy by imprisoning dissidents and usurping the powers of the National Assembly.
The crisis was triggered by Maduro's attempts earlier this year to alter the constitution, with critics claiming the proposed reforms would in effect allow the executive to bypass parliament.
Sunday's mayoral elections followed a defeat of opposition candidates in October's gubernatorial elections, where anti-Maduro candidates won five of 23 seats amid allegations of official vote-buying and other irregularities.
Venezuela on the brink
Venezuela is facing collapse amid multiple crises. DW takes a look at what has brought the oil-rich nation to its knees.
In March 2017, violent protests erupted across the country in response to a Supreme Court decision to strip the legislative branch of its powers. Amid an international outcry, President Nicolas Maduro reversed the decision, but it was too late. Thousands continued to take to the streets, calling for new elections. More than 100 people were killed in clashes with security forces.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Barreto
Hunger, a growing problem
The violence added to the ongoing economic and political crisis in Venezuela. Many Venezuelans spend more than 30 hours a week waiting in lines to shop, and are often confronted with empty shelves when they finally enter a store. President Maduro blames the crisis on US price speculation. The opposition, however, accuses the Socialist government of economic mismanagement.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/C. Becerra
Health care in crisis
The crisis has even affected health care in the oil-rich nation. Venezuelans often head to Colombia to collect medical supplies to send home, as seen in this picture. Hospitals across Venezuela have compared conditions to those seen only in war zones. As patient deaths rise, health officials have sounded the alarm on the rise of malaria and dengue fever.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/M.Duenas Castaneda
Power grab
By July 2017, Venezuela's pro-government Constituent Assembly was established. For observers, it had all the hallmarks of a power grab. The new body adopted the authority to pass legislation on a range of issues, effectively taking away the powers of Venezuela's elected congress, which was under the opposition's control. The move drew wide international condemnation.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Miraflores
The West sanctions
In response to the political crisis, the United States and European Union imposed a series of sanctions against ruling officials. The US blacklisted members of the Constituent Assembly and froze all of Maduro's assets that are subject to US jurisdiction. The EU banned arms sales to the country.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AFP/T. Schwarz
Government victorious in regional elections
In October 2017, Venezuela held two votes: regional elections and elections for governors, which were long overdue. The opposition boycotted the vote, but then split, as some candidates and small parties chose to participate. This caused a deep rift within Maduro's opponents. The government went on to sweep the vote, which detractors say was unfair and heavily favored the regime.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Cubillos
Debt default
In November 2017, the oil-rich, cash-poor nation faced its day of reckoning. Credit ratings agencies declared Venezuela and its state-run oil company in "selective default." But Russia offered to restructure the South American country's debt to ensure Caracas pays its other creditors. US and EU sanctions, however, limited the chance of an agreement.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Cubillos
Presidential elections scheduled
The National Assembly announced in January 2018 that it would grant Maduro's call for snap presidential elections. The electoral authority, CNE, held the elections on May 20. The EU, the US and 14 Latin American nations warned that they would not recognize the results. The mainstream MUD opposition alliance boycotted the vote, leaving only one possible outcome.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/F. Parra
Maduro wins ...
Maduro was re-elected to a second six-year term with about 68 percent of the vote. Turnout was only 46 percent, according to electoral authorities. However, the MUD opposition alliance put turnout at less than 30 percent. The Organization of American States (OAS) called the elections neither free nor fair.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Cubillos
... Guaido assumes power
But weeks into the new year, the situation took a drastic turn. On January 23, 2019, parliament president Juan Guaido declared himself interim president of Venezuela — a move that was quickly recognized by US President Donald Trump. Maduro called it a US-backed "coup." Days later, the US sanctioned Venezuela's state oil firm, while Guaido staked his claim on the country's foreign assets.