This Friday, April 14th, marks the 10th anniversary of the event National Electoral Council of Venezuela (CNE), then chaired by Tibisay Lucenawill announce this Nicolas Maduro He was named “president-elect” after elections marred by allegations of fraud and state advantage.
A little over a month had passed since his death Hugo Chavez. On that day and after an appointment with the polling stations, a new political stage began Venezuela which has been riddled with all sorts of accusations and suspicions this decade.
Protests, deaths, corruption, hyperinflation, shortages, torture, migration and human rights violations It is part of the legacy of the last 10 years of Chavista Venezuela, which looks very different today but is still the same.
Chavismo has used the anniversary to shout about some supposed “achievements” that remain in the rhetoric of a revolution, such as: Chronos in Greek mythology, he eats his own children.
“I swear there will be no coexistence or complicity with the Venezuelan people. Here there will be all the truth, all justice and all punishment for those who robbed the people and stabbed us in the back,” the dictator said at a time when the regime has already jailed more than 60 former officials from its own ranks.
Chavismo is faced with the “betrayal” of its own members, in whom illicit enrichments were “discovered,” crimes that various political and non-governmental organizations have pointed out during Maduro’s 10 years at the helm of the regime, but which the dictator, instead of investigating at the time, focused on rewarding with ministries and positions to those he now persecutes and confronts.
“If it is true that they are bombarding us with sanctions, that they have created huge loopholes with sanctions, then it is also true that they have stabbed us with the treachery of corruption,” Maduro said.
Despite the embarrassing corruption scandals within ChavismoMaduro continues to blame the sanctions imposed on his regime for violating citizens’ human rights as the main cause of his economic failure.
“The unilateral coercive measures and financial blockade of the United States were the decisive battles,” the regime asserted during his detention Alvaro Pulidoa partner of Álex Saab.
Polished, Who is too requested by the United States Justice Departmentwas presented in court around midnight this Friday Venezuela due to its connection to a corruption plot, the regime’s Minister of Communications and Information reported, Freddy Ñáñez.
The minister assured that Pulido, a Colombian national, is a “Financial operator“ in connection with the former Chavista deputy Hugbel Roawhose parliamentary immunity was lifted last March by the Chavista-majority National Assembly, after which he was arrested for involvement in one of the corruption plots.
Pulido Vargas And saabimprisoned in Miami and whom the regime defended a few months ago as a “diplomat” of the revolution, is accused by the US judiciary of having transferred from Venezuela, through the North American country, about 350 million dollars to accounts that they owned or controlled in other countries.
The accusation says that between 2011 and at least 2015, both Colombian businessmen conspired with others to launder the profits of a corruption network that was supported by bribes to win contracts to carry out public projects and defraud Venezuela’s exchange control system.
In 2021, The United States is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Pulido Vargas.
All this comes at a time when the opposition is trying to reunite its leadership through primaries to get rid of the regime in 2024, the year that should hold presidential elections.
Maria Corina MachadoLeader of the Vente Venezuela party, who is seen in the polls as the favorite to win the opposition primaries, believes that the 2024 general elections are “the last chance” for the South American country.
Machado has called for massive participation in the opposition primaries next October.
“The more people participate in the primaries inside and outside the country, the better it will be. That is the goal of the primaries: to encourage Venezuelans abroad to vote and to do the voting manually,” Machado said at a meeting with supporters in Miami over Zoom titled “Venezuela 2024: an opportunity for change.”
“I have never felt such a deep connection between Venezuelans,” said the leader of Vente Venezuela after traveling the country by car to talk to “many people,” because, as she said, The regime forbids him from traveling by plane.
“I have the feeling that it is not a partisan issue. There are people who were Chavistas and today they join our teams with enthusiasm. Today I realize that the change is not aesthetic and has to do with a new relationship between the state and citizens,” he explained.
“For Venezuelans, The main enemy is socialism“he explained in a virtual forum organized by Florida-based Vente Venezuela and the Adam Smith Center at Florida International University (FIU).
The Venezuelan comedian is behind María Corina Benjamin Rousseopopularly known for his figure “He Conde del Guacharo“, who announced this will take part in the opposition primaries.
“I am Benjamín Rousseo and I am running in the primaries for President of all Venezuelans.“, said the businessman and lawyer.
Another who is acting as a preliminary candidate for the leadership of the opposition is Hernique Caprilesthe same one who ran against Maduro in the presidential elections ten years ago and did not recognize the results of that election after denouncing fraud and calling for a vote-by-vote recount.
In order to obtain a recount, Capriles called on all Venezuelans to protest in front of the CNE headquarters in every city in the country, but at the last minute the opponent decided to stop the demonstrations and the vote-by-vote count was never achieved.
Capriles, now 50, has one Disqualification that prevents him from holding positions in public power, an obstacle that the National Primary Commission (CNP) hopes will be resolved through the negotiating table between the regime and the opposition if the former governor or another disqualified leader is elected in October.
His disqualification was imposed in 2017 for 15 years for alleged “administrative irregularities” during his term as governor of Miranda state, a neighboring state to Caracas, between 2008 and 2017.
However, Maduro again questioned the progress of the dialogue which Chavismo in Mexico maintains with the opposition and to which the parties have not returned since November.
“Yesterday a gringo speaker came out to threaten Venezuela. He said that if Venezuela does not move forward in the political dialogues with the bandit sector (…) of the Unity Platform, they will impose retaliatory measures and sanctions against our country. I say to the gringo speaker: gringo speaker, go to hell,” the dictator said in Caracas.
Additionally, Maduro once again raised the possibility of bringing forward the presidential elections, planned for 2024, this yearan idea he had announced and rejected at public events in the past.
Some experts believe that Chavismo may try to advance the elections ahead of the opposition primaries to prevent a reunification of the leadership of the democratic forces.
“They intend to wash their faces and disguise themselves as Democrats to appear in the upcoming presidential election We don’t know if they will be this year or next year.“Keep the secret for me, delete it from the recording,” Maduro said ironically.
Also this Thursday, a day after the death of Tibisay Lucena, who was the chairman of the CNE and was responsible for announcing the results of the April 14 elections 10 years ago, The regime used its image to issue a new warning to the opposition and influence the primaries.
“I don’t know how the electoral department will decide, but I think that every request that these bastards make, every request for election events organized with them the electoral system designed by Tibisay Lucena“In respect and tribute to the greatest president that the electoral power of Venezuela has had in its history, we demand, as the first document from those who denigrate on social networks and then play for the National Electoral Council, a letter of apology to Tibisay Lucena,” suggested Jorge Rodríguez, President of the Chavista Parliament.
“You should apologize, we give all credit to Tibisay Lucena” Rodriguez said..
All this means that the situation in Venezuela is not so different from ten years ago, the same faces fight for power while there is a regime led by the same person who uses all the violence of the state to stay in Miraflores, “whatever”.
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