In a significant development in Venezuelan politics, the opposition's efforts to challenge President Nicolás Maduro in the upcoming July 28 presidential elections faced a major setback. The Venezuelan regime arrested two members of María Corina Machado's team, Maduro's main political rival, amid a wave of repression, with a total of eight members of her team detained so far in 2024. Furthermore, Corina Yoris, an 80-year-old academic and grandmother, emerged as a proxy candidate for Machado but struggled to register her candidacy. Despite her aspirations and the support she garnered, including a ClearPath Strategies poll indicating a potential win against Maduro, with Maduro rejected by 80% of voters, the government blocked two major parties from registering a legitimate challenger. This move has prompted international concern, with both Colombia and Brazil criticizing Venezuela for blocking the opposition's registration, marking a departure from their usual stance. Additionally, the National Electoral Council used technical failures as a pretext to block parties, further diminishing hopes for a fair electoral process. Maduro's party has filed for a third term, and despite the challenges, Yoris remains the coalition candidate.
#Venezuela: Colombia and Brazil took the unusual step of criticizing Nicolas Maduro's regime after the country’s opposition said it was blocked from registering for the July 28 election. https://t.co/qMl9WuxPWH
Colombia expresses concern about the main Venezuelan opposition groups being unable to register a candidate for the presidential elections. #Venezuela https://t.co/8PByY0RG4R
Colombia and Brazil took the unusual step of criticizing Venezuela after the country’s opposition said it was blocked from registering for the July 28 election. https://t.co/f0kN1aNc1k
With no opposition allowed on the ballot, it’s clear Maduro and his thugs were never going to allow this year’s election in Venezuela free and fair. The U. S. must not recognize it as a real election and strongly condemn the total abandonment of democracy yet again. President…
A change: Lula government says Venezuela's decision not to allow opposition candidate is "not compatible with the Barbados accords." It also mentions "repudiating sanctions of any kind" to balance things a bit -- but still a shift here from Brazil https://t.co/PRaKAkqJ8H
Both Brazil and Colombia voicing concern over situation in Venezuela today https://t.co/Y1HCuFcMsz
Venezuela: Maduro's regime is so terrified of losing in anything vaguely resembling a free and fair election that it has illegally blocked the candidacy of an 80-year-old academic with no previous political experience. https://t.co/jj3ZBXdGEl
Venezuela's National Electoral Council used its system to block parties at will, citing “technical failures” as part of a political game that seeks to forestall any possibility that Maduro, who is rejected by 80% of voters, might lose the "election" https://t.co/muC6Ap3eOq
🇻🇪 | Harassment against María Corina Machado, Maduro's main political rival, continues. So far in 2024, eight members of her team have been arbitrarily detained in Venezuela. More information here: https://t.co/07GVQwcBEv
Venezuela opposition leader Machado says Yoris remains coalition candidate in election https://t.co/a6WzpBygqp
Maduro shuts down key opponents, sets up presidential election against 11 easy-to-beat rivals https://t.co/6y8gQBmw64
Maduro didn't allow the strongest opposition candidate to compete in the forthcoming "election" in #Venezuela finally wiping out all (naive) hopes he was going to allow...What was the line? Oh yes, "free and fair elections." https://t.co/ZE5HuEPwGP
#Venezuela | Authorities detained three individuals in Caracas as they attempted to sabotage popular mobilizations in support of President Nicolas Maduro's candidacy registration for the presidential elections on July 28. https://t.co/madGEy8NJf
After blocking all the women candidates who polls showed would have easily won the election, #Venezuela’s regime has for now assembled a 12 Angry Men cast of presidential hopefuls—and there’s no Henry Fonda in the mix. https://t.co/e759vjlVTk
Lots of mixed reports on candidate registration in Venezuela. What we know is that while the @unidadvenezuela coalition denounced that the government blocked @MariaCorinaYA’s chosen substitute from registering, they appear to have secured an unofficial extension. A (slim) window. https://t.co/gZdv5CgjdP
In #Venezuela’s make-up-the-rules-as-you-go democracy, you don’t even have to run in the primaries. Then, six months later, and an hour after the application deadline, you can feign surprise that you’re suddenly presidential candidate. https://t.co/bKNrr62Yiy
Maduro spoke about the foiled attempt of a new assassination attempt on him. Anything could have happened at the march in Caracas, but two men who planned to throw an explosive device at the president were detained. They, as the Venezuelan leader said, “were exposed and… https://t.co/v1JaG3eo63
Corina Yoris: Venezuela's opposition candidate blocked from election https://t.co/8ecSj8AxND
1.7 tons of cocaine hidden in avocado shipment seized by Colombian authorities https://t.co/UCs0DXqWsn https://t.co/W3iDa9iMZX
#Venezuela Key Opposition Party Registers Presidential Candidate Governor Rosales enrolled by A New Era party before deadline Unitary Platform unable to register substitute candidate #oott https://t.co/TkaiozEXbC
Last week I wrote: “If…a new opposition candidate emerges who has the potential to unify Venezuela’s discontented electorate even without Machado’s blessing, that process must be allowed to proceed without interference from Washington.” https://t.co/xjnqT481nz
#Venezuela opposition again without candidate as Yoris unable to register #oott https://t.co/TXgjJntxV7
#BREAKING Venezuelan opposition figure and governor of the northwest Zulia state Manuel Rosales has officially registered for the July 28 presidential election, the National Electoral Council announced early Tuesday https://t.co/HXWmodnW3e
Venezuela's main opposition coalition unable to register a presidential candidate (from @AP) https://t.co/MPWiNuCHQp
Venezuela's opposition coalition was left without a candidate in the race for July's presidential elections after 80-year-old Corina Yoris was unable to register before the expiry of Monday's deadline https://t.co/A5HkkJYBkN
It's a tale of two dramatically different political campaigns. Throngs of supporters of President Nicolás Maduro rallied at a giant stage draped in the red, yellow and blue colors of Venezuela's flag outside the electoral council headquarters. https://t.co/tGqd61CRcw
HEAD OF VENEZUELA OPPOSITION COALITION, OMAR BARBOZA, SAYS IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO REGISTER A CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
ICE says Tren de Aragua member arrested: 'This Venezuelan noncitizen represented a significant threat' https://t.co/r3Fyd8lgop https://t.co/eVnX3JxzkP
#ENVIDEO | President Maduro celebrates with the people his registration for July 28th elections https://t.co/TQgtqoNSQ4
Two subjects are arrested who allegedly intended to attack Maduro https://t.co/AGQruYoMvf https://t.co/qkkQA2bvdE
#CocaineRoundup | In Colombia, the world’s largest cocaine producer, authorities seized 739.5 tons of cocaine, a 12.1% increase from 2022, as the government prioritizes interdiction and production continues to rise. Read the full report https://t.co/ajVtingqSP
NEW: Chicago based ICE deportation officers have arrested a Venezuelan Tren De Aragua gang member who was released into the U.S. in July 2022 after being caught by Border Patrol in Eagle Pass, TX & was arrested last month by police in Cicero, IL for a drive by shooting in the…
President Nicolás Maduro makes official reelection run while would-be rival struggles to register candidacy https://t.co/v3VCNuABvL https://t.co/F44hfXg2l5
Venezuela opposition presidential candidate Yoris, 80, says her age is no handicap https://t.co/DI3AqFWor7
Much like his mentor Hugo Chávez used to do, #Venezuela’s Maduro in speech kicking off his reelection campaign says, without evidence, that 2 gunmen were caught at his rally and they're already “convicted” after confessing to working for the party of Maduro's banned rival. https://t.co/qJi7402YdG
ÚLTIMA HORA | Maduro confirma detención de "dos hombres con armas" en la movilización oficialista: "están convictos y confesos, pertenecen a Vente Venezuela" https://t.co/iYzPCzwCgD https://t.co/Y19mZRxxAB
Maduro makes official re-election run while would-be rival struggles to register candidacy https://t.co/HxXGIdMB39
Venezuela: President Maduro's party files candidacy for a third term. #breaking #CGTNAmerica
"It’s a tale of two dramatically different political campaigns"... Maduro makes official re-election run while would-be rival struggles to register candidacy (from @AP) By @APjoshgoodman & @jorgeruedaap https://t.co/UyCg3JmXMp
A tale of two starkly different campaigns in Venezuela. Maduro makes official his re-election bid amid throngs of government supporters. Meanwhile, his would-be rival -- an unknown 80-year old academic -- struggles just to register her own candidacy. https://t.co/Ue1vh6brwT
Though the Tren de Aragua’s notorious headquarters, the Tocorón prison in Aragua state, Venezuela, has been seized by authorities, the gang has continued to expand and has now set off alarm bells in the United States. Learn about the group: https://t.co/I4y6rFYe3z https://t.co/CT5WbZ9P8d
Venezuela’s leading opposition candidate suggested that the government is blocking two major parties from registering a legitimate challenger to President Nicolás Maduro https://t.co/Z8UkP31s84
A ClearPath Strategies poll shows just how much Venezuelans want Maduro out. A candidate backed by Maria Corina Machado would win 49% to 27%. And one who doesn’t have her support would squeak out victory over Maduro, 35% to 27%, the poll shows. https://t.co/zMO9WQ8Qy1
In Venezuela, MCM's proxy candidate is Corina Yoris, an academic and an 80-year-old grandmother. Quite the contrast to the mustachioed Maduro who jokes about his resemblance to Stalin. But the regime might not let Yoris on the ballot either. My NPR story https://t.co/LbJqG7o4cL
🇻🇪 🇨🇴 | Authorities in Colombia uncovered the role of a faction of the Tren de Aragua in the region's growing marijuana trade. To learn more, visit: https://t.co/jiTtm45fGJ
Citizen participation in the #Venezuela opposition’s primary surpassed all expectations and gave Machado over 90% support among a population desperate for change. But now that she's been disqualified, what's next? @dsmilde: https://t.co/7tQ13WoOOT
Meet @yorisvillasana, the 80-year-old historian, philosopher, grandmother, diehard Real Madrid fanatic who was plucked out of her quiet academia life to challenge #Venezuela strongman @NicolasMaduro. “It’s totally surreal” she tells @wsj in interview. https://t.co/iHYZfUVk2D
Venezuela’s opposition is challenging Maduro in the upcoming July 28 election. The only question is how—and whether they can do so united or divided. Read my latest for the @AtlanticCouncil ⬇️ https://t.co/j8Q85lvo4F
Meet the 80-Year-Old Grandmother Who’s Taking On Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro. @WSJ https://t.co/PynoupwKWy
“She’s a philosopher, she’s a historian,” Phil Gunson, of the International Crisis Group, said of Maduro's new challenger, Corina Yoris. “She’s a student of advanced logic. She has an incredible brain. And she’s rather engaging and amusing and likable." https://t.co/UgLMga0qpi
“It’s totally surreal because I’ve dedicated my life to academia," the 80-year-old grandmother who is taking on Venezuela's strongman, told @WSJ. “Aspirations of becoming president of the republic have never passed through my head. Never." ”https://t.co/rP0evpyRcw
Corina Yoris, a widow and grandmother to seven children, has been plucked out of her quiet life in academia to challenge Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro https://t.co/Ju2xTZYQMO https://t.co/Ju2xTZYQMO
🇻🇪 🇨🇴 | The arrest of a member of the Tren de Aragua on Colombian soil exposes the group’s unexplored links to large-scale drug trafficking. Read our analysis: https://t.co/jiTtm45fGJ
🇻🇪 | The Venezuelan regime arrested two members of the team of María Corina Machado, Maduro's main rival in the presidential elections. Read our content on this recent wave of repression: https://t.co/vnONF5R5NB