Venezuela: Maduro Denounces Far-Right Sabotage as Machado Issues Election Day Instructions

Caracas, July 18, 2024 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has reiterated warnings of opposition violence ahead of the July 28 elections.

“The fascist right is desperate,” he said in a rally on Wednesday evening in Barquisimeto, Lara state. “They know we’re going to rout them and want to hurt the people by attacking the electric grid.”

The president’s message came hours after an alleged sabotage effort in the western state of Falcón. Governor Victor Clark published images to denounce “vandalism and sabotage” that destroyed breakers in a local electrical substation. 

In his Wednesday address, Maduro told supporters he had a “triple mission” of campaigning, governing and securing the country’s peace in the run-up to the presidential vote.

“I have to ensure Venezuela remains at peace, against the conspiracies of the fascist right which are always in collaboration with imperialism,” he stated.

With a week to go before the closure of the electoral campaign, Venezuela’s incumbent has run through an intense agenda of mobilizations and direct contact with supporters. Barquisimeto was Maduro’s third stop of the day, having passed by Carora, also in Lara state, and held a large-scale assembly with trade unions in Caracas in the morning.

As he campaigns for a third term, Maduro told thousands of workers that Venezuela’s economy counted on low inflation and growth. He announced measures to increase access to credit and housing as well as a new fleet of buses to improve public transportation. The Venezuelan president went on to propose the drafting of a special law to boost the recovery of working-class incomes.

In contrast to Maduro’s constant public appearances, his main rival Edmundo González has been mostly absent, with far-right leader María Corina Machado leading the street demonstrations for the main opposition faction.

González reportedly missed a Wednesday caravan in Guanare, Portuguesa state, after catching a cold. The 74-year-old former diplomat has mostly conducted interviews and small-scale gatherings on the campaign trail.

In turn, Machado, who saw the Supreme Court ratify her political disqualification in January, has been the leading figure of the hardline opposition’s campaign, often carrying a poster of González or connecting with him via conference call.

On Monday, Machado published a video issuing instructions to supporters on voting day. She called on opposition voters to go to the polls as early as possible, to register participation, denounce possible irregularities and witness the public audits performed in randomly chosen voting centers after polls close.

Venezuela’s upcoming election has not counted on reliable predictions. Opinion pollsters, some without a track record in past contests, have offered wildly varying results, with either Maduro or González holding sizable leads.

A Dataviva poll released on Wednesday showed Maduro garnering 55 percent of voting preferences, compared to 21 percent for his main rival. In contrast, More Consulting released its own study on Monday with González leading Maduro by 55 to 31 percent.

Polling company Datanálisis, which is frequently quoted and has a historically proven pro-opposition bias, has yet to publish a single poll. However, digital outlet Impacto Venezuela reported on an allegedly leaked Datanálisis study that had Maduro narrowly edging out González by less than 3 percent, a lead smaller than the study’s margin of error.

Venezuelan voters will choose their president for the 2025-2030 period from a field of 10 candidates. The National Electoral Council (CNE) has set up more than 16,000 voting centers across the country.

The elections will also count on several observation missions, including teams from the Latin American Council of Electoral Experts and the Carter Center, as well as a UN expert panel that will produce a report for the organization’s Secretary General.

Brazil’s Supreme Electoral Court will likewise send two experts to accompany its northern neighbor’s presidential vote, reversing an earlier decision refusing the invitation from Venezuela’s CNE.