Elections in Venezuela 2024: when are the polls and what offices are to be elected
Venezuela will be voting this weekend to decide if incumbent president Nicolas Maduro will stay on as their leader or if it’s time for a new administration.
Some 21 million voters in Venezuela will be trooping to the polls on Sunday, July 28, to elect the country’s leader for the next six years.
Incumbent president Nicolas Maduro, who is running under the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, will try to cling to power, while his opponent, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia of the Democratic Unitary Platform, brings the potential for political change.
Recent public opinion polls indicate that Gonzalez is enjoying a comfortable lead over Maduro, who has been in power since 2013.
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Maduro’s stay in power
The incumbent assumed the role of interim president after Hugo Chavez died in March 2013, then won the presidential election held a month later by a narrow margin against opposition candidate Henrique Capriles.
Maduro was re-elected in 2018 in a highly controversial election, which was widely criticized by international observers and opposition parties for alleged irregularities and lack of transparency.
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Under his tenure, Venezuela has faced severe economic difficulties, such as hyperinflation and the significant devaluation of the Venezuelan Bolivar.
Maduro’s government has also been accused of political repression, including jailing opposition leaders and cracking down on protests. Various international organizations have criticized his administration for human rights abuses.
The opposition hopes that widespread frustration with Maduro’s leadership will help them win on Sunday.
Who is Edmundo Gonzalez, Nicolas Madura’s opponent in Venezuela’s presidential election?
Gonzalez became the opposition coalition’s candidate after several prior candidates, including primary winner Maria Corina Machado and Corina Yoris, were barred from running.
Prior to his candidacy, he had an extensive career in foreign service and the academe. He began his work in diplomacy by working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela. After several overseas assignments, he served as ambassador to Algeria and to Argentina.