From left to right, fugitive of Venezuelan justice now refugee in the Argentinian embassy in Caracas, Magalli Meda; Vente Venezuela politician Maria Corina Machado; and Justice First (PJ) politician Juan Pablo Guanipa during a political rally in 2023. Photo: X/@JuanPGuanipa/file photo.
Juan Pablo Guanipa, a far-right opposition politician from Venezuela’s Justice First political party (PJ), which belongs to the Unitary Platform (PUD) coalition, publicly called for his colleagues to violate Venezuelan electoral law when he asked PUD party members not to allow assisted voting in the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for July 28. Guanipa’s statements constitute the newest evidence of opposition desperation amid popular support for incumbent President Nicolas Maduro.
This Sunday, July 7, Guanipa addressed a group of opposition supporters in Zulia state and urged them not to allow assisted voting, despite the fact that this regulation is stipulated in the Venezuelan electoral law. “Here all of us have to take care of the voting polls, the voting centers, to keep the voting minutes, we should prevent Mara [municipality in Zulia state] from being without a single voting minute; and additionally, we should not allow under any circumstance assisted voting, the vote is secret,” said Guanipa during his speech.
Article 128 of the Organic Law of Electoral Processes, titled “Individual Exercise of Suffrage,” states that citizens who are illiterate, elderly, blind, or disabled in any manner have the right to assisted voting in the company of one person.
The legal rule stipulates that “Voters will exercise their right to vote individually, and in order to guarantee this right, the members of the Electoral Board will not allow the voter to be accompanied by another person during the journey between the place where the members of the polling center are located and the place designated for voting. Exempted from this provision are illiterate, blind, and other voters with any other disability, as well as elderly voters, who may exercise their right to vote in the company of a person of their choice.”
In his speech, Juan Pablo Guanipa reiterated the pre-emptive allegations of fraud that the opposition repeats day after day. These repeated accusations, prior to the elections, indicate that this far-right sector of the opposition is unlikely to recognize the results on July 28.
Guanipa, en plan de desespero, desafía por adelantado la Ley electoral y al CNE diciendo que no permitirán el voto asistido.
El voto asistido es un derecho consagrado en las leyes en aquellos casos en que el votante por edad, limitaciones o enfermedades no puede por sí mismo… https://t.co/Apz7f16zDb
— William Castillo Bollé (@planwac) July 8, 2024
For months, Guanipa has sought to sabotage the presidential elections through hate messages targeting the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro.
In June, the Unitary Platform politician demonstrated how to vote on the ballot for the presidential candidate of the Unitary Platform (PU). However, his method was attacking the national leader.
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In the video, the opposition leader can be heard saying that in order to locate and vote for the presidential candidate of the Unitary Platform, they must count “five damned people,” pointing to President Maduro on the ballot.
Guanipa’s actions could lead to legal consequences for inciting hatred.
In addition, prior to the opposition sector’s primary elections, the PJ leader suggested taking to the streets to achieve the conditions they were asking for.
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SL
