In a significant development for Venezuela's political landscape, the opposition, backed by the US, has rallied behind a new presidential candidate, Corina Yoris, following the disqualification of María Corina Machado. Machado, a prominent figure in the opposition, was initially chosen to challenge President Nicolás Maduro in the upcoming July elections. However, her candidacy was thwarted due to a ban imposed by the Venezuelan government, leading to her stepping aside. In response, the opposition's Unitary Platform coalition has united to endorse Corina Yoris, an 80-year-old university professor and respected academic, as their new candidate. Yoris, who is also a grandmother of seven and a member of the National Primary Commission, has been presented as a figure capable of rejuvenating the opposition's campaign against Maduro's regime. The decision to nominate Yoris was made amidst concerns over the opposition's ability to register a viable challenger against Maduro, but it has injected a sense of hope among those striving for democratic change in Venezuela. Machado expressed her full confidence in Yoris, stating, "Hemos encontrado a una persona de mi total confianza, honorable, que va a cumplir este trámite con el apoyo y la confianza de TODOS". It was also highlighted that Yoris is not banned from participating in the elections, and the announcement comes following the arrest of two of Machado's close aides.
#Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado named Corina Yoris as her successor to take on President Nicolas Maduro in the country's presidential election in July, following the arrest of two of Machado's close aides. https://t.co/UR2hKLVU3T
Venezuela’s embattled opposition announced on Friday that it was naming a new candidate to face off against President Nicolas Maduro this summer, giving renewed hope to the country’s push toward democracy. https://t.co/fvrV7xTjZi
Maria Corina Machado, whom voters chose to challenge the Venezuelan regime in presidential elections, said that she is stepping aside and that a little-known professor is taking her place in the July vote https://t.co/LqQIMe8ooY https://t.co/LqQIMe8ooY
Wondering how #Venezuela opposition’s decision to name 80-year-old distinguished academic @yorisvillasana as their presidential candidate against @NicolasMaduro will affect her weekly sessions of live-tweeting Real Madrid matches. https://t.co/WrfRUUOLT6
Maduro's brutal regime, afraid it could lose the upcoming election, banned María Corina Machado. Machado's replacement might be a masterstroke, an 80-year-old grandmother and university professor previously unknown to most Venezuelans. https://t.co/pi0oMzhsTf via @WSJ
Maria Corina Machado steps aside in Venezuela. So Maduro will now face Corina Yoris, an 80-year-old university professor and grandmother. How could Maduro ban her? https://t.co/GRhGZVK89r via @WSJ
Venezuela’s US-backed opposition agreed to replace banned presidential candidate María Corina Machado ahead of the July election, amid doubt that it will be able to register a challenger to run against President Nicolás Maduro https://t.co/4MM79jz3F1
🗣️@MariaCorinaYa: "Hemos encontrado a una persona de mi total confianza, honorable, que va a cumplir este trámite con el apoyo y la confianza de TODOS". Hoy, de la mano de María Corina Machado, le presentamos a Venezuela a nuestra próxima presidenta: Corina Yoris Villasana. 🇻🇪.… https://t.co/NQaqu7vn1w
The Venezuelan opposition's new presidential candidate is Corina Yoris, a highly respected academic, member of the National Primary Commission and a grandmother of 7. Can she channel the magic of Doña Violeta, the grandmotherly figure who took down Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega? https://t.co/XdAOS8DfP7
María Corina Machado with Professor Corina Yoris, presidential candidate of the opposition’s Unitary Platform. They showed a screen with the CNE website, where it shows that Yoris is not banned. Other figures of the opposition are here. https://t.co/E7hsy8VwFW
In the face of the ban on #Venezuela’s @MariaCorinaYA, her and the broader Unitary Platform opposition coalition have agreed on a substitute candidate to appear on the ballot in July: UCAB Professor Corina Yoris.
#EnVivo | María Corina Machado asignó este viernes a Corina Yoris (@yorisvillasana) como sustituta de cara a las #PresidencialesVe2024. “Vamos a dar esta lucha juntos, somos un gran equipo”, recalcó. Conéctate a nuestra señal de #VPItv aquí: https://t.co/baDGE1Ll1u https://t.co/ctYUhaKegx
NEW @dsmilde on how the opposition is girding up for #Venezuela elections and what Maria Corina Machado, who is supposedly disqualified, will do. https://t.co/7tQ13WoOOT