The Democratic Unity Platform denounced the “violation” of voters' rights after failing to field a candidate to challenge incumbent Maduro.
Venezuela's main opposition coalition has claimed that it has blocked the registration of candidates to challenge Nicolas Maduro in the upcoming presidential election.
The Democratic Unionist Party (PUD) said in a video released on Tuesday that it was unable to formally register presidential candidate Corinna Joris in the Electoral Authority's online registration system by the midnight deadline. Neighboring countries have expressed concern that President Maduro has so far blocked the main opposition party from voting on July 28.
“They are not allowing us to enter the country,” said Omar Barboza, a senior coalition official. He called for the registry to be reopened and denounced the “violation of the rights of the majority of Venezuelans who want to vote for change.”
Mr. Yoris, 80, was nominated by Maria Colina Machado as a PUD candidate last week. Bente Venezuela, leader of the liberal party, won an overwhelming victory in the opposition nomination last year, but was blocked by the Supreme Court from running for president.
Joris' candidacy surprised the nation. The academic is relatively unknown, and her only public political role so far was last year, when 2.4 million voters chose a candidate to challenge Mr. Maduro, defying the government's threat of criminal prosecution. was to assist in organizing the opposition party's primaries.
But her relative anonymity, squeaky-clean background, and grandma-like vibe quickly became part of her appeal. Her name, Corina, is a subtle reminder of her namesake ally, Machado, and is considered an asset to her.
“It's not just the name of Corinna Yoris that is being rejected, but the names of all citizens who want to run,” Yoris said at a press conference.
landslide
Opinion polls show that if Venezuelan voters were given a fair choice, Maduro would lose in a landslide.
To date, 10 candidates have registered to participate in the July election. However, neither is seen as a serious threat to President Maduro's power base.
Despite Yoris' difficulties, the National Electoral Council announced early Tuesday that Manuel Rosales, governor of the northwestern state of Zulia, had officially registered to vote “by automated means.”
Neither Venezuela's Ministry of Communications, Information, and People's Power nor the Council commented on Joris' eligibility to run.
In a joint statement, Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay expressed concern over the inability of PUD candidates to register.
President Maduro has repeatedly negotiated and broken minimal electoral guarantees he promised the United States in exchange for oil sanctions relief.
The arrests last week of two people close to Machado have sparked a backlash from Washington, which has already warned it will allow oil sanctions relief to expire in April if Caracas does not allow free and fair elections. There is.