Venezuela to Hold Regional Elections, US-backed Opposition Calls for Abstention

Electoral authorities will summon political parties to sign a document pledging to respect the results from the upcoming April 27 vote.
Venezuelans will choose governors, state legislators, and national deputies. (Photo: EFE)

Caracas, January 28, 2025 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) has officially announced that legislative and regional elections will take place on April 27th, reaffirming its commitment to “ensuring the right to vote and fostering political participation.”

On this date, voters will elect 277 deputies to the National Assembly (AN), as well as authorities for 23 regional governorships and legislative councils, whose terms will begin in January 2026. Unlike previous electoral cycles, the elections for 335 mayorships and municipal councils will be scheduled at a yet-to-be-announced later date.

In a televised address on Monday, CNE president Elvis Amoroso stated that the electoral schedule would be released shortly in accordance with established regulations. He likewise declared the council in “permanent session” to guarantee all necessary preparations for a successful electoral process.

“The National Electoral Council is committed to ensuring that political organizations, candidates, and all sectors of democratic life participating in the 2025 elections experience the highest levels of reliability and transparency,” Amoroso emphasized. “We will conduct the necessary audits in compliance with constitutional, legal, and regulatory provisions.”

Amoroso, along with four other CNE rectors, explained that political parties and candidates will be required to sign a document pledging to follow certain guidelines concerning the April 27 elections and to accept the results announced by the CNE.

Venezuela last held regional elections in November 2021, when voters chose governors, mayors, regional legislators and local councilors. Despite a low turnout, the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) won 19 out of 23 governorships and 212 out of 335 mayoral offices. 

The 2021 race was marked by the rightwing Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) return to the ballot after years of general or partial boycotts, but its results were underwhelming, securing only three governorships in Zulia, Cojedes and Barinas states. Meanwhile, the moderate-right Democratic Alliance won the Nueva Esparta governorship.

The regional contest also saw controversy in the Barinas gubernatorial race when the Venezuelan Supreme Court (TSJ) declared the results void alleging that MUD candidate Freddy Superlano was barred from holding public office. A re-run vote in January 2022 had MUD candidate Sergio Garrido defeating PSUV candidate and former Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza.

Previously, in the December 2020 legislative election, the PSUV secured 256 of the 277 seats in the National Assembly, regaining control from the US-backed opposition, which had won an unprecedented majority five years earlier. For its part, the moderate opposition secured 20 seats and the Revolutionary Popular Alternative, a left-wing coalition critical of the Maduro government, captured one deputy seat.

President Nicolás Maduro welcomed Monday’s CNE announcement, asserting that “no external factor can stop our people” from electing new regional and legislative officials on April 27. “We are convinced that the path forward lies in participatory and protagonistic democracy.”

In contrast, the hardline opposition has rejected the electoral authorities’ call for regional and legislative elections. Far-right leader María Corina Machado took to social media to warn anti-government forces against taking part in electoral contests until the “sovereign mandate” of the July 28 presidential vote is “upheld.” She called for “national unity” and negotiations aimed at achieving a “democratic and orderly transition.”

“We do not accept or endorse any election until the July 28 results are respected. Those who do not uphold the popular vote should not call for a popular vote,” Machado stated on X.

On July 28, 2024, Venezuela’s electoral authorities declared Maduro the winner of the presidential election, granting him a third term in office. The US-backed opposition, led by Machado, rejected this outcome, claiming that its candidate, Edmundo González, was the victor and appealing to foreign nations for support.

Following President Donald Trump’s return to the Oval Office on January 20, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone conversation with Machado and González. A brief communique referred to the former candidate as “Venezuela’s rightful president,” indicating a continuation of the Biden administration’s approach to Venezuela. On January 7, the former president welcomed González to the White House, referring to him as “president-elect.”

In response, Caracas has accused Washington of using “outdated intervention strategies.” Additionally, the Maduro government has severed diplomatic ties with several Latin American countries that support Washington’s foreign policy.

Edited by Ricardo Vaz from Caracas.