Venezuela Opposition Will Boycott Election, and Maduro Tightens His Hold
ation of the institutions, knowing that there is no possibility of the opposition obtaining any relevant position." The opposition alliance said it would reconsider its decision if certain conditions were guaranteed, including an election date in the second half of the year, a balanced electoral commission
and the presence of international observers, among other demands. that total renov
Mr. Maduro was defiant in response to the announcement, vowing to hold the election in April regardless of the boycott, and he raised the ante: He said he would ask the Consitutent Assembly to call general elections for April 22
that would encompass not only the opposition-controlled National Assembly but also municipal and state legislative councils.
21, 2018
CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela’s alliance of opposition parties declared on Wednesday
that it would boycott the coming presidential election, saying the electoral system was rigged in favor of President Nicolás Maduro and his United Socialist Party of Venezuela.
In a statement, the coalition, the Democratic Unity Roundtable, said the election was "premature" and lacked "proper conditions," and called it "a show by the government to give an impression of legitimacy
that it does not have in the midst of Venezuelans’ agony and suffering." The announcement left Javier Bertucci, a little-known evangelical pastor, as the only confirmed candidate other than Mr. Maduro.
His party then dominated regional elections, taking most of the nation’s governorships,
and solidified its gains by sweeping municipal elections amid a boycott by the opposition alliance.
Should the opposition boycott those contests, too, Mr. Maduro and his party would essentially control nearly every elected office in the country.