Venezuela to vote for new parliament on Dec. 6; opposition decries farce

Record ID: 1560243

  • Title: Venezuela to vote for new parliament on Dec. 6; opposition decries farce
  • Date: 1st July 2020
  • Summary: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (JULY 1, 2020) (REUTERS VIA ZOOM) (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER, JUAN GUAIDO, SAYING: "Under these conditions, no one will validate this farce, as we have said before. To participate (in the elections) would be to play along with a dictatorship. They (Venezuelan government) did not succeed in the elections of 2017 and 2018 and they did very badly in 2020. It is a sign of the dictatorship's arrogance to believe that they will continue there (in the government) for six months. It is a sign of the government's arrogance to believe that this farce (parliamentary elections) is a sustainable solution in time. They have little strength today because of the persecution and outrage."
  • Embargoed: 16th July 2020 00:54
  • Keywords: President Nicolas Maduro Venezuela opposition leader Juan Guaido parlamentary elections politics
  • Location: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
  • City: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
  • Country: Venezuela
  • Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
  • Reuters ID: LVA006CKZCOXZ
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Venezuela will vote for a new parliament on Dec. 6, the country's elections council said on Wednesday (July 1), officially setting a date for a poll that the opposition says is rigged in favour of the ruling Socialist Party.
    The opposition has controlled parliament since 2016, and current legislative chief Juan Guaido has been recognized by dozens of countries as the nation's rightful leader following the disputed 2018 re-election of President Nicolas Maduro.
    "We announce for Dec. 6, 2020, the electoral process (for) the National Assembly for the 2021-2026 period," elections council chief Indira Alfonzo said in a televised broadcast.
    The opposition has refused to recognize the decisions of the recently named elections board on the grounds that it was illegally designated by the pro-government supreme court.
    "Venezuelans will not participate in a farce, as we did not in May 2018," Guaido said during a video conference.
    Maduro's critics also note that the top court intervened in the leadership of the main opposition parties, putting them in the hands of party members who were expelled on accusations that they were shadow allies of the ruling Socialists.
    Losing control of the parliament would complicate the standing of Guaido.
    (Production: Efrain Otero, Liamar Ramos)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register