Maduro seeks date and rivals for his elections

The Bolivarian revolution has once again presented a revised version of the National Dialogue Table, aimed at manipulating the upcoming presidential elections. This table, also known as the “little table” due to its lack of representation, was previously used in the 2020 parliamentary elections, which were widely disputed by the international community and the democratic opposition.

In the past, the “little table” had the support of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

Recently, the National Assembly, resulting from this process, welcomed a group of collaborationist pre-candidates closely aligned with the Bolivarian regime. They accepted the ruling party’s invitation to propose their preferred election date and contribute their conditions to Nicolás Maduro’s “magnanimous act.”

Among the participants were evangelical leader Javier Bertucci, a ally of Zapatero in Caracas and former prison companion of Leopoldo López. There were also deputies financed by Colombian magnate Alex Saab, as well as other relatively unknown figures to Venezuelans. However, even with Nicolás Maduro included, they only accounted for a meager 21% of national support, according to a survey conducted by Polianalítico in January.

Javier Bertucci, who previously ran as a compliant candidate in the 2018 presidential elections under the banner of Esperanza por el Cambio, emphasized the need to not toy with the hopes of the people.

Interestingly, the candidate leading the polls and the only one to have passed a primary election with 92.6% of the votes did not attend the meeting. They were neither invited nor welcome. The signatories of the Barbados Agreement, along with the government, were also absent. María Corina Machado pointed out the violation of the agreement and the Unitary Platform, representing the opposition, described the meeting as unacceptable and aimed at distorting the electoral process.

“Maduro is now proposing an electoral schedule, with rumors of elections in July. This would require the registration of candidates to be completed by March or April, which may not align with the US deadline for revoking Machado’s disqualification. It puts the US in a dilemma and leaves uncertainty about any potential negotiation,” explained political consultant Luis Peche Arteaga.

The proposed date for elections in July appears to be the most favored, considering the agreement in Barbados that stipulated elections in the second half of the year.

The Bolivarian revolution is now attempting to generate divisions within the opposition through debates about replacing Machado’s candidacy and by introducing new candidates who may legitimize the elections both domestically and internationally. This strategy aims to limit the purification of the Electoral Registry, hinder the registration of new voters, and complicate international observation,” sociologist Gianni Finco revealed.

The current situation poses a significant dilemma for the United States and Machado herself. They must decide whether to proceed with Machado’s candidacy as planned and boycott the elections, as done in the past, or negotiate concessions that would allow a candidate from the democratic alliance to run with Machado’s endorsement,” added Luis Peche.