Maduro before his third term: presidential elections in Venezuela on July 28 The end of the Russian T-14 super tank – and the adventurous justification for it

The National Electoral Council (CNE) announced during a press conference on Tuesday (local time) that July 28 had been “unanimously” set as the date for the presidential elections. Although he has not explicitly declared his candidacy, President Nicolás Maduro, who has ruled under authoritarian rule since 2013, is widely expected to seek a third term in office.

“Let’s fight and let’s win,” Maduro wrote on the X platform (formerly Twitter) after the date was announced. The eleventh anniversary of Chávez’s death was commemorated in Venezuela on Tuesday.

María Corina Machado of the Vente Venezuela party was chosen as the opposition’s presidential candidate with a large majority in October. However, she is banned from holding public office for 15 years due to alleged irregularities during her time as an MP. At the end of January, the Supreme Court confirmed the ruling. “They are afraid because they know we will wipe them out in elections,” Machado said during an appearance on Tuesday.

In October last year, Maduro and parts of the opposition agreed in an agreement signed in the Caribbean state of Barbados to presidential elections in the second half of 2024, for which both camps will be free to choose their candidates. At the time, the US had eased sanctions “in support of the agreement”. Following the arrest of opposition representatives and the exclusion of candidates critical of the government from the elections, sanctions were reintroduced.

Venezuela has been in a serious political and economic crisis for years. Maduro has cracked down on government opponents and has banned several leading opposition figures from political activities. The economy of the once prosperous country with rich oil reserves is suffering from mismanagement, corruption and sanctions. According to the UN, more than seven million people have left Venezuela in recent years due to poverty and violence. (sda/dpa)