Venezuela Launches National Dialogue to Define Presidential Election Day

A day of national dialogue was held at the headquarters of the Venezuelan National Assembly (AN) to define an electoral schedule to guarantee that the presidential elections will be carried out in 2024, per what has been established by the Constitution.

This Monday, February 5, the aforementioned meeting was led by National Assembly (AN) President Deputy Jorge Rodríguez, who received many representatives of different political parties and movements, including several presidential candidates.

In his speech at the beginning of the session, Rodríguez recommended the creation of a commission that, in no more than 48 to 72 hours, develops the proposed schedule that will later be delivered as a proposal to the National Electoral Council (CNE).

After the US government and the far-right opposition groups breached the agreements reached in Barbados last October by not recognizing the decisions made by the Venezuelan Supreme Court on disqualifications and by participating actively in unveiled terrorist plots unveiled by Venezuelan authorities, Venezuelan has opted to fast-track the presidential election day and incorporate other opposition actors in the dialogue.

Electoral guarantees
In his speech, the AN president stated that this working commission must ensure that the most electoral guarantees are granted in the proposal, “so that all participants feel confident in the development of the electoral event.”

In this regard, Rodríguez explained that the guarantees should include everything from voter registration, audits of the system for the peaceful development of the electoral process, participation and spaces for advertising and propaganda of political groups and candidates, to the recognition of results, among others.

“I would ask that in this schedule, we not only stick with a date and time frame but also incorporate electoral guarantees,” he emphasized.

Wide participation
The AN’s Vice Presidents Pedro Infante and América Pérez, along with deputies Nicolás Maduro Guerra, Leonardo Martínez, Pedro Carreño, Jesús Suarez Chourio, Francisco Ameliach, Francisco Torreal, Julio José García Zerpa, Roy Daza, Ilenia Medina, María Carolina Chávez Rosales, Angelid Tamayo, Fidel Madroñero, Lucy Galeano, Roque Valero, Vanessa Montero and Rudy Puerta were present during the meeting, representing the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).

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Also present at the event, representing different political sectors of the country were: Didalco Bolívar, for the Podemos party; Bernabé Gutiérrez, for Democratic Action; Timoteo Zambrano, for the Cambiemos Movimiento Ciudadano party; the opposition mayor of the Chacao municipality Gustavo Duque, for the Neighborhood Force party; Ricardo Sánchez for Alliance for Change; Antonio Ecarri, presidential candidate for the Alianza del Lápiz party; presidential candidate, Luis Eduardo Martínez; Henry Parra of the Communist Party of Venezuela; Copei presidential candidate, Juan Carlos Alvarado; pre-candidate for the Esperanza por el Cambio party, Javier Bertucci; Vanesa Montero for the Somos Venezuela Movement party; Henry Hernández for the Venezuelan Popular Unity party; Luis Parra for the Primero Venezuela party; and Gilberto Jiménez for the People’s Electoral Movement (MEP).

Likewise, Claudio Fermín from Soluciones para Venezuela also participated; as well as Alfonso Campos of the El Cambio party; president of Arepa Digital and presidential candidate, Daniel Ceballos; Henryck Alvarez of the Venezuela Green Party; Leocenis García, presidential candidate from Prociudadanos; Omar Ávila for Unidad Vision Venezuela; José Antonio España for Fall in love with Venezuela; Luis Ratti; Juan Barreto Cipriani for Redes; William Benavides for Tupamaro; José Noriega for Popular Will party; Luis Augusto Romero for Avanzada Progresista; Alfredo Boscán for the National Integration Movement MIN Unidad; and Mario Valdéz for the Republican Movement.

Frederick Villegas and Lois Maldonado from Centrados join the extensive participation; along with Agustín Berríos of the National Democratic Confederation and representative of the pre-candidate Benjamín Rausseo; José Brito Rodríguez, pre-candidate of the First Venezuela Movement; Chaim Bucaram for the Venezuela Unidad party; Wilmer Alcalá for the Humanist Movement of Venezuela; John Segovia from Actívate Venezuela; Andrés Cedeño of Prociudadanos; José Paredes of the Republican Movement; Hiram Gavidia and Francisco Pérez from the Puente party; Gloria Piña and Leonel Rivero of the Political Movement Por Tí Venezuela.

The absence of far-right politicians from the Unitary Platform negotiating with the Venezuelan authorities in Barbados was evident. Many analysts consider this evidence of a deep rupture in the Barbados negotiation process after the recent breach by the US government and Venezuelan far-right actors.

(Últimas Noticias) by Gustavo Rangel with Orinoco Tribune content

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

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