The central building of the Venezuelan National Assembly in Caracas. Photo: File photo.
The president of Venezuela’s National Assembly (AN), Jorge RodrĂguez, announced that Parliament has declared itself in permanent session until the new authorities of the National Electoral Council (CNE) are elected.
In accordance with Article 60 of the Rules of Procedure and Debate, the president of the Parliament called on deputies to vote, as the declaration of a permanent session was unanimously approved during the session this Tuesday, August 15.
“We have a little work pending,” noted RodrĂguez, “so we are not leaving here until we choose the new National Electoral Council.”
The National Assembly announced this Monday that next Thursday, August 24, it will hold an extraordinary session in order to move forward with the election of the CNE’s new board of directors, which will be made up of five main rectors and ten alternates, following the resignation of the board of directors of the full electoral body.
After initial evaluations are completed, the legislative power will have the mission of choosing from among 104 candidates that were selected by the Electoral Nominations Committee of the Parliament, after ensuring all are complying with the requirements established by the Organic Law of the Electoral Power and the Constitution.
The application process began on July 4, with an initial period of 14 continuous days; however, notifications were received from universities and other sectors that alleged some obstacles in submitting applications. These issues were considered by the committee, and it was unanimously decided to grant an extension of nine days to solve these difficulties.
This process eventually resulted in 153 applications, which were published in a list in the Official Gazette and evaluated according to their credentials, moral solvency, and capabilities, in addition to complying with established requirements and corresponding waivers.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/AU
