Venezuela's main opposition coalition has agreed to unite behind former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez as a challenger to President Nicolás Maduro in elections scheduled for July 28 this year.
CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuela's main opposition coalition agreed on Friday to unite behind former diplomat Edmund González as a challenger to President Nicolás Maduro in this summer's general election, formally naming its candidate. Act the day before the deadline to advocate.
The decision was taken unanimously by the 10 parties of the United Democratic Platform, coalition secretary general Omar Barboza said after a five-hour meeting that also included discussion of other potential candidates.
The coalition granted Gonzalez's provisional registration on March 26 after the government faced a wave of criticism that opposition leaders were prevented from registering their preferred candidates. Saturday was the deadline to finalize his candidacy.
The opposition group needed a replacement for its first candidate, Maria Colina Machado. Maria Colina Machado easily won a primary election organized by the bloc in October, but the government banned her from running after the ruling party-led National Audit Office disqualified her from holding public office for 15 years. It was done. Year.
Maduro's government has been cracking down on rebels ahead of the July 28 presidential election, despite promising to pave the way for fair elections in exchange for sanctions relief. The Biden administration on Wednesday criticized President Maduro's move and reimposed tough oil sanctions.
The governments of Colombia and Brazil have also expressed concern, and Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo has accused Maduro's government of “strengthening anti-democratic regimes.”
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Gil called the criticism “a serious interference in an issue that concerns only Venezuelans.”
Maduro is a self-proclaimed socialist leader. Last month, he officially announced his candidacy for a third term, which will run until 2031.
There are believed to be more than 10 candidates in the election, but apart from the main opposition coalition, none appear to pose a threat to President Maduro's power base.
___
Follow AP's Latin America coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
