On Tuesday, the Chavismo announced that it would advance elections in Venezuela.
If the world wants sanctions, we will apply elections,”
said Diosdado Cabello, one of the heads of the ruling party, to justify his proposal to move the elections to a date before April 30th.
The proposal was brought before the National Constituent Assembly and immediately approved by a decree order the National Council to set the call for the first quarter of this year.
This decision, taken unilaterally,
is what’s best for the government in the current circumstances,”
as Carmen Fernández, a political consultant from Spain explained for BBC Mundo.
She points out that the picture was already written after the elections of October 2017, where the candidates obtained 18 of the 23 governorates of the country, a process that was branded as fraudulent by the opposition coalition Mesa de la Unidad Democratica (MUD).
Fernández added that, given the difficult economic conditions, the crisis of shortages and the increase in inflation that Venezuela is going through, added to the deterioration and discouragement of its inhabitants, the Government needs to ensure the elections as soon as possible. She also highlights the fact that the call is part of the reaction before the sanctions imposed by the European Union.
The elections in Venezuela have always been held in December, with the exception of the year 2000 for the re-legitimization of the powers after the approval of the new Constitution, in October 2012, when Chávez sought reelection, and in April 2013, to choose the successor of Chávez after his death.
The reactions of the opposition have been divergent since they believe that the conditions of transparency to vote do not exist.