Venezuela-Glass Half Empty

 

Glass Half Empty

VENEZUELA

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s governing party and its allies secured a big victory in the country’s local elections Sunday, a vote that also saw the participation of the opposition for the first time in four years, Al Jazeera reported Monday.

The National Electoral Council said that Maduro’s United Socialist Party of Venezuela and its allies won 20 of the 23 governor posts, as well as the mayorship of the capital, Caracas. It also said that voter turnout was almost 42 percent.

Sunday’s elections were notable for seeing the return of opposition parties, which had been boycotting elections since the 2018 presidential polls amid allegations of fraud and intimidation from Maduro supporters.

The opposition had unsuccessfully tried to oust Maduro amid international sanctions, which has crippled Venezuela’s economy. The United States and its allies also refused to recognize Maduro as the country’s legitimate leader.

Even so, many of those parties participated after Maduro offered concessions, including allowing a 130-member observer mission from the European Union. The elections, however, represent a major setback for the opposition, which hoped to enhance their profile ahead of the 2024 presidential polls.

The elections come as Maduro is attempting to establish goodwill with the international community in hopes of sanction relief and gaining access to frozen foreign funds. His efforts also include now stalled Norway-brokered talks with opposition leaders in Mexico.

Still, the socialist leader emphasized that the international observers have no authority to give a “verdict” on how the regional elections were conducted, adding that they “must respect the laws of Venezuela, and must strictly respect the regulations of the electoral power that invited them.”