In a significant development in Venezuelan politics, the opposition has named Corina Yoris Villasana, an 80-year-old university professor and grandmother of seven, as their presidential candidate against President Nicolás Maduro for the July election. This decision comes after María Corina Machado, a prominent US-backed opposition leader, was banned from running for office by the government. Yoris, a respected academic and member of the National Primary Commission, was chosen as a substitute by Machado and the broader Unitary Platform opposition coalition. The coalition, which includes eleven left-wing political parties forming the Simon Bolivar Great Patriotic Pole, has expressed full confidence in Yoris's candidacy. Recent polling indicates a majority of Venezuelans would support any unified opposition candidate, suggesting a potentially competitive election. Yoris's candidacy has been described as a masterstroke by some, drawing comparisons to Doña Violeta, who famously defeated Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua.
Venezuelan opposition powerhouse Maria Corina Machado on Friday named a substitute to her presidential bid while she fights a government ban on her running for office. https://t.co/0jiLpavWIf
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
Maria Corina Machado announces University professor Corina Yoris as a substitute candidate that will stand as the opposition candidate in Venezuelas presidential election. #Venezuela https://t.co/2RA1pfiBjB
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: recent polling shows that a majority of Venezuelans would support any unified opposition candidate. That may or not not be good news for Maria Corina Machado: https://t.co/7tQ13WoOOT
#Venezuela | President Nicolas Maduro accepted to be the presidential candidate of the eleven left-wing political parties that make up the Simon Bolivar Great Patriotic Pole. https://t.co/LRnwVoxle3
Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro is afraid of facing off with the popular opposition leader in an open and competitive election, writes Carrie Filipetti. https://t.co/poQo0a0Puy