VenEconomy: Venezuela’s CNE Lucena Has Spoken… and So Has Maduro From the Editors of VenEconomy Latin American Herald Tribune June 23, 2015
After long months of multiple pressures from the Venezuelan opposition, former presidents and parliamentarians from across Latin America, and several international bodies, Tibisay Lucena, head of the National Electoral Council (CNE), finally spoke and announced the date, rules and schedule of the parliamentary elections on Monday.
What she announced is summarized as follows:
1) The elections will be held on December 6, 2015, the date Hugo Chávez came to power through the electoral route 17 years ago.
2) Voter registration will take place until July 8.
3) The limits for the electoral constituencies shall be set the same way as for the 2010 parliamentary elections (changes will be seen in the number of lawmakers already assigned that subtracts four members of the Democratic Unity party, currently with 66 seats of a total 165), while maintaining the same structure used on that occasion by the CNE.
4) The nomination of candidates shall be carried out between August 3 and August 7.
5) The electoral campaigning period is set to take place between November 13 and December 3.
6) Only members of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) were invited to "accompany" the process.
7) And, as it has become customary, the CNE ratified once more that the Venezuelan electoral system is the safest in the world.
This announcement by Lucena meets one of the four requests made by Leopoldo López, Daniel Ceballos and the students, today political prisoners of the government of Nicolás Maduro, at the beginning of their hunger strike. López and the students made a wise decision by putting an end to their respective hunger strikes on Tuesday.
Pending requests are that the elections be carried out under the impartial observation (not a simple accompaniment) of the OAS and the European Parliament; the release of the remaining political prisoners; and the cessation of persecution and censorship against political dissidents.
Unfortunately, that respite given to Venezuela’s democratic sector by Lucena lasted less than a heartbeat, because Maduro also spoke that same Monday afternoon ….
The ruler, faced with an election process deemed vital to start the rescue of democracy in Venezuela, with the "socialism of the 21st century" showing its lowest levels of popularity in 17 years, with a sustained decline in oil revenues and the most serious economic and social crisis, gave an aggressive and threatening speech filled with violence and everything that goes against a democratic coexistence.
Maduro expressed through high-flown words and resorting to the strategy of domination through fear that if the Opposition won the elections, the Opposition would eliminate the social programs and benefits. Then he said that "our people are not going to give up; our people are going to fight in the streets, no matter the circumstances we have to deal with. So I say, so I assume. I would be the first one to hit the streets with the people to defend their social rights."
This is a speech that may be categorized as incendiary and demonstrative that the Government refuses to resolve the ongoing political, economic and social crisis via constitutional and democratic means. Or is it a speech that hides the fear of being overwhelmingly defeated by a population that will withdraw its electoral support, finding the government responsible for the collapse of the country?
The question is what the democratic population will do now to pursue a change of route. Or what steps will the democrat leadership take to ensure that the decision of the majority of the population will be respected all the way.
The work to be done is not easy, but not impossible either. Moving together and in the same direction is the ultimate goal to achieve so that in January of 2016 everyone starts working hard for the recovery of the country, with a new Parliament that is plural and representative of all sectors of the Venezuelan society. Let’s get on with it!
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