Next Venezuelan presidential election

Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in Venezuela by 2024 to choose a president for a six-year term beginning in 10 January 2025.

Next Venezuelan presidential election

By 2024

Party PSUV Alliance GPP

Incumbent President Nicolás Maduro (disputed) PSUV

Background

Main articles: Crisis in Venezuela, 2018 Venezuelan presidential election, and Venezuelan presidential crisis

Crisis in Venezuela

Since 2010, Venezuela has been suffering a socioeconomic crisis under Nicolás Maduro and briefly under his predecessor Hugo Chávez as rampant crime, hyperinflation and shortages diminish the quality of life.[1][2] As a result of discontent with the government, the opposition was elected to hold the majority in the National Assembly for the first time since 1999 following the 2015 parliamentary election.[3] After the election, the lame duck National Assembly—consisting of Bolivarian officials—filled the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, the highest court in Venezuela, with Maduro allies.[3][4] The tribunal stripped three opposition lawmakers of their National Assembly seats in early 2016, citing alleged "irregularities" in their elections, thereby preventing an opposition supermajority which would have been able to challenge President Maduro.[3]

The tribunal approved several actions by Maduro and granted him more powers in 2017.[3] As protests mounted against Maduro, he called for a constituent assembly that would draft a new constitution to replace the 1999 Venezuela Constitution created under Chávez.[5] Many countries considered these actions a bid by Maduro to stay in power indefinitely,[6] and over 40 countries stated that they would not recognize the 2017 Constituent National Assembly (ANC).[7][8] The Democratic Unity Roundtable—the opposition to the incumbent ruling party—boycotted the election, saying that the ANC was "a trick to keep [the incumbent ruling party] in power".[9] Since the opposition did not participate in the election, the incumbent Great Patriotic Pole, dominated by the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, won almost all seats in the assembly by default.[10] On 8 August 2017, the ANC declared itself to be the government branch with supreme power in Venezuela, banning the opposition-led National Assembly from performing actions that would interfere with the assembly while continuing to pass measures in "support and solidarity" with President Maduro, effectively stripping the National Assembly of all its powers.[11]

2018 elections and presidential crisis

In February 2018, Maduro called for presidential elections four months before the prescribed date.[12] He was declared the winner in May 2018 after multiple major opposition parties were banned from participating, among other irregularities; many said the elections were invalid.[13] Politicians both internally and internationally said Maduro was not legitimately elected,[14] and considered him an ineffective dictator.[15] In the months leading up to his 10 January 2019 inauguration, Maduro was pressured to step down by nations and bodies including the Lima Group (excluding Mexico), the United States, and the OAS; this pressure was increased after the new National Assembly of Venezuela was sworn in on 5 January 2019.[16][17] Between the May 2018 presidential election and Maduro's inauguration, there were calls to establish a transitional government.[18][19]

Maduro's new six-year term did not begin until 10 January 2019, when he took his official oath at a public ceremony in Caracas in front of the Venezuelan Supreme Court.[20] The ceremony was attended by spectators such as Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Bolivian president Evo Morales.[20] The elections were widely disputed both within Venezuela and in the broader international community. In January 2019, the National Assembly declared the results of the election invalid, and invoked clauses of the 1999 Venezuelan Constitution to install National Assembly Speaker Juan Guaidó as acting president, precipitating the Venezuelan presidential crisis. Maduro's supporters refused to acknowledge the move, and Guaidó was placed under arrest for a short time. Several international organizations and independent countries have lined up to support either side of the conflict, and the former Supreme Tribunal of Justice of Venezuela, in exile in Panama since 2017, has given its support to the legitimacy of the National Assembly's moves.

Restructuring of the National Electoral Council (CNE)

In 2020, the Committee of Electoral Candidacies, in charge of appointing a new National Electoral Council (CNE), announced that it would suspend its meetings because of the coronavirus pandemic.[21]

2020 transitional government proposal

On 31 March 2020, the United States proposed a transitional government that would exclude both Maduro and Guaidó from the presidency.[22] The deal would enforce a power-sharing scenario between the different government factions. Elections would have to be held within the year, and all foreign militaries, particularly Cuba and Russia, would have to leave the country. The US were still seeking Maduro's arrest at the time of the announcement.[23] Other aspects of the US deal would include releasing all political prisoners and setting up a five person council to lead the country; two members each chosen by Maduro and Guaidó would sit on the council, with the last member selected by the four. The European Union also agreed to remove sanctions if the deal went ahead. Experts have noted that the deal is similar to earlier proposals but explicitly mentions who would lead a transitional government, something which stalled previous discussions, and comes shortly after the US indicted Maduro, which might pressure him to peacefully leave power.[24]

Guaidó accepted the proposal,[25] while Venezuela's foreign minister, Jorge Arreaza, rejected it and declared that only parliamentary elections would take place in 2020. Arreaza said that "decisions about Venezuela would be made in Caracas and not in Washington or other capitals" and that "the most important transition for Venezuela was the one started many years ago from capitalism to socialism."[26]

Electoral system

See also: Elections in Venezuela § Polling procedure

The President of Venezuela is elected by plurality in a single round of voting.[27]

The elections will be overseen by the National Electoral Council, with poll workers drafted via a lottery of registered voters. Polling places are equipped with multiple high-tech touch-screen DRE voting machines, one to a "mesa electoral", or voting "table". After the vote is cast, each machine prints out a paper ballot, or VVPAT, which is inspected by the voter and deposited in a ballot box belonging to the machine's table. The voting machines perform in a stand-alone fashion, disconnected from any network until the polls close.[28] Voting session closure at each of the voting stations in a given polling center is determined either by the lack of further voters after the lines have emptied, or by the hour, at the discretion of the president of the voting table.

As part of the election administration the National Electoral Council planned a post-election audit of 54% of polling places, comparing the electronic records with the paper trail.

References

1. "Venezuela blackout, in 2nd day, threatens food supplies and patient lives". New York Times. 8 March 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2019. The Maduro administration has been responsible for grossly mismanaging the economy and plunging the country into a deep humanitarian crisis in which many people lack food and medical care. He has also attempted to crush the opposition by jailing or exiling critics, and using lethal force against antigovernment protesters.
2. Kevin Voigt (6 March 2013). "Chavez leaves Venezuelan economy more equal, less stable". CNN. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
   * Corrales, Javier (7 March 2013). "The House That Chavez Built". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
   * Siegel, Robert (25 December 2014). "For Venezuela, Drop In Global Oil Prices Could Be Catastrophic". NPR. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
   * Lansberg-Rodríguez, Daniel (15 March 2015). "Coup Fatigue in Caracas". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
   * "Venezuela's economy: Medieval policies". The Economist. 20 August 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
3. Casey, Nicholas; Torres, Patricia (30 March 2017). "Venezuela Muzzles Legislature, Moving Closer to One-Man Rule". The New York Times. p. A1. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
4. "Venezuela's Lame-Duck Congress Names New Supreme Court Justices". Bloomberg. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
5. "Venezuela's embattled socialist president calls for citizens congress, new constitution". USA Today. Associated Press. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
6. Silvio Cascione (5 August 2017). "Mercosur suspends Venezuela, urges immediate transition". Reuters.com. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
7. "La lista de los 40 países democráticos que hasta el momento desconocieron la Asamblea Constituyente de Venezuela". Infobae (in Spanish). 31 July 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
8. "Venezuela: New assembly leader warns 'justice will come'". 4 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
   "As Venezuela unrest spreads, Maduro presses on with plans to rewrite charter". Reuters. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
   "Venezuelan gov't proposes constitutional assembly election on July 30". EFE. 4 June 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
   "40 countries protest Venezuela's new assembly amid fraud accusations". Retrieved 4 August 2017.
9. "Venezuela opposition boycotts meeting on Maduro assembly, clashes rage". Reuters. 8 April 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
10. Mogollon, Mery; Kraul, Chris (29 July 2017). "As Venezuelan election nears, more upheaval and cries of fraud". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
    * "What are Venezuelans voting for and why is it so divisive?". BBC News. 30 July 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
    * Bronstein, Hugh (29 July 2017). "Venezuelan opposition promises new tactics after Sunday's vote". Reuters. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
11. Goodman, Joshua and Fabiola Sanchez (8 August 2017). "New Venezuela assembly declares itself superior government branch". The Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
12. "Venezuela opposition weighs election run". BBC News. 8 February 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
13. "ANC aprobó un decreto para la validación de los partidos políticos". El Nacional. 20 December 2017.
    * Olmo (@BBCgolmo), Guillermo D. (10 January 2019). "Por qué es polémico que Maduro jure como presidente de Venezuela y por qué lo hace ahora si las elecciones fueron en mayo". BBC News Mundo. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
    * "Maduro gana con la abstención histórica más alta en comicios presidenciales - Efecto Cocuyo". efectococuyo.com. Archived from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
    * "Venezuela opposition banned from running in 2018 election". BBC News. 11 December 2017.
14. Sen, Ashish Kumar. "Venezuela's Sham Election". Atlantic Council. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
15. Corrales, Javier. "Venezuela's Odd Transition to Dictatorship". Americas Quarterly. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
    * Brodzinsky, Sibylla (21 October 2016). "Venezuelans warn of 'dictatorship' after officials block bid to recall Maduro". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 December 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
    * "Almagro: Maduro se transforma en dictador por negarles a venezolanos derecho a decidir su futuro". CNN en Español. 24 August 2016. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
16. "Venezuela Swears in an illegitimate President". Financial Times. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
17. Herrero, Ana Vanessa; Specia, Megan (10 January 2019). "Venezuela Is in Crisis. So How Did Maduro Secure a Second Term?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 11 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
    * "Peru, Paraguay recall diplomats over Maduro inauguration | Venezuela News". Aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 10 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
18. Corao, Manuel (28 September 2018). "¿Dónde está el gobierno de transición en Venezuela?". El Nuevo Herald. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
19. "Fuego amigo: el caos de la oposición venezolana". International Crisis Group. 23 November 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
20. "Venezuela's Maduro begins second term". BBC NEWS. 10 January 2019.
21. Murillo, Yuskerli (16 March 2020). "Comité para designar nuevo CNE suspenderá reuniones". El Universal (Caracas) (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 March 2020.
22. Faiola, Anthony; Morello, Carol (31 March 2020). "U.S. proposes transitional government for Venezuela, without Maduro or Guaidó". Washington Post. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
23. "US offers Venezuela deal to lift sanctions". BBC News. 2020-03-31. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
24. Borger, Julian (2020-03-31). "US calls on Maduro and Guaidó to stand down in Venezuela transition plan". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
25. "Guaidó acepta el gobierno de transición que propone EEUU". Atlántico (in Spanish). 1 April 2020.
26. "Arreaza rechaza la propuesta de EEUU para una "transición democrática" en Venezuela". Europa Press (in Spanish). 31 March 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
27. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela IFES
28. Manual Operativo para Miembros, Secretaria o Secretario de Mesa Electoral Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine Consejo Nacional Electoral. Retrieved 28 November 2006 (in Spanish)