Unity? Opposition Leaders React to CNE Decision to Reinstate MUD as Valid Political Party for 21N Regional Elections (Adelante)

Following the Venezuelan National Electoral Council’s (CNE) decision to reinstate 20 political organizations, thus authorizing their participation in the regional and municipal elections on November 21, there have been several reactions from political actors of the so-called Democratic Unity Table (MUD). The CNE decision was reached on Tuesday, June 29, and applies to eight national and 12 regional organizations.

Jesús “Chúo” Torrealba, former executive secretary of the MUD, responsible for the legislative 2015 opposition victory, considered the decision as presenting a new opportunity for the opposition. He urged the opposition to build “a winning alliance.” He insisted that this decision presents a “possibility” for all opposition sectors to “regroup” again and present a united electoral proposal to the country in advance of the upcoming regional elections scheduled for November 21.

In a conversation with the vice president of the CNE, Enrique Márquez, it was clarified that the MUD card was enabled to participate on the national level, therefore in all positions for the popular election. The CNE decision provides further evidence of the pursuit of negotiations between Maduro’s government, the electoral authorities, and extreme-right opposition groups.

In addition, Torrealba pointed out—on the Vladimir a la Carta television program—that reinstating the party is “a fortunate decision.” He also said that it results from the negotiation process that is being carried out and not due to “an inspiration by the president of the CNE.”

A unique candidate
The opposition decided to form the MUD alliance (2009-2018) to bring together opposition sectors to participate in the 2010 parliamentary elections. The result was negative because MUD did not obtain a majority and they withdrew from the race. At that time the purpose was to unify the parties to launch a single candidate per position and thus become more competitive facing the powerful electoral force of Chavismo. In the 2015 parliamentary elections the MUD card obtained 7,728,025 votes, thus achieving the largest electoral victory over Chavismo since 1998. This occurred in the middle of a scenario of economic warfare against the nation, promoted by the same opposition actors to achieve their own interests.

Now, the deputy to the National Assembly (AN) and the Secretary General of Democratic Action (AD), Bernabé Gutiérrez, insisted that the opposition must make a great effort to present a unique candidate in each state for the next elections on November 21. These statements were made in the context of an evident division within the opposition. There are those who have promoted abstentionism and antidemocracy in recent years, and those who put their hopes in elections to stay in the political game. Gutiérrez took legal control of Democratic Action (AD) and distanced himself from Henry Ramos Allup in 2020, due to these differences within the party.

“We are going to make a great effort to propose a unique candidate in each state,” stated Gutiérrez. “If someone, just to make trouble, presents a candidate in order to lose and let the government win, that must be denounced publicly.”

He also confirmed that all those who called for abstention in the last elections “were conspiring to ask for sanctions against Venezuela.”

Es obvio que las elecciones regionales concentrarán una parte importante del debate en las negociaciones politicas y es un factor divisor dentro de la oposición. Pero es el único evento concreto que tenemos frente. La posibilidad de elección presidencial es nula en este momento. https://t.co/sYdkZTmk01

— Luis Vicente Leon (@luisvicenteleon) June 30, 2021

Stalin González confirms it
There are already several spokespeople for the opposition who expressed their willingness to participate in the regional elections. They maintain their hope in an opportunity to recover the spaces they lost when they promoted abstention, non-recognition of government institutions, and violence.

Such is the case of the opposition politician, Stalin González. He stated that the empowerment of a group of political organizations that make up the so-called Democratic Unity Table (MUD) represents an opportunity to regroup opposition parties for what he considers an alternative for the November 21 elections.

Este paso es una oportunidad para reagruparnos y reconstruir la alternativa para el cambio político que anhelamos. https://t.co/D2xmTW3TFF

— Stalin González (@stalin_gonzalez) June 29, 2021

Adelante or AD?
There are reports that the dissident faction of Democratic Action (AD)—that of Allup, which belongs to the G4 and supported the US-led Guaidó “regime”-change operation—pointed to the approval of a political party as the result of negotiations between the opposition and the government.

The anthem of AD starts with “Adelante a luchar milicianos…” [advance to fight, military men] so the name for many is a possible option for the party that traditionally, even during the Bolivarian Revolution, has shown political muscle on the regional, at the municipal and state levels. So far the political party of Ramos Allup has not commented about these reports.

Featured image: Electoral logo of the Mesa de la Unidad Democratica (Democratic Unity Table) know by its acronym as MUD. File photo.

(RedRadioVE) by Daniela Jimenez, with Orinoco Tribune content

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/JRE/SL