Venezuela is bracing itself for the mother of all elections

IN NOVEMBER Venezuela goes to the polls amid a much improved mood of national peace and stability, while posing a huge challenge to America’s foreign policy towards the oil-rich South American socialist state.

Venezuela has been under US and EU sanctions since the country’s opposition leader, Juan Guaido, declared himself president after the disputed May 20, 2018, elections.

The Trump administration recognised him as the leader of the Venezuelan people despite a democratically-elected government under President Nicolas Maduro.

The severity of the economic sanctions has been characterised by a devastating blockade that has all but ruined the entire economic activities of Venezuela.

But the reason the coming elections assumed increased importance is because a flurry of opposition parties have resolved to participate in what is envisaged to be peaceful elections.

Eight opposition parties will contest President Maduro, and so far there has been no incident of violence in the lead up to the November polls. Instead, the opposition bloc has signed a joint declaration with the Maduro administration, giving the much-needed credence and legitimacy to the polls in this once shining example of economic prosperity during the tenure of the iconic Hugo Chavez. He died in early 2013 in Cuba, where he was treated like royalty by the government of Fidel Castro.

The biggest poser is whether America’s preferred leader, Guaido, will participate. He is under enormous pressure to do so.

The regional and local elections to be held on November 21 will see a contest to fill more than 3 000 positions that will include 23 governors, 335 mayors, 251 members of state parliaments and more than 2 400 members of the municipal councils.

At the end of August the Unitary Platform of the opposition, comprising several opposition parties, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Maduro government in Mexico, paving the way for mass participation in the polls.

During a recent event of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela, President Maduro said: “We have built an inclusive national dialogue in favour of stability and peace. We brought the entire Venezuelan opposition to the electoral field.

“I said it months ago. It is a matter of time for those sectors of extremism to return to the electoral path. That is why today democratic institutions are stronger than ever.”

The cooperation of the bulk of the opposition with the Maduro administration removes any lingering sense of delegitimation that President Joe Biden’s administration has been pointing out as a basis for continued sanctions.

If the will of the people is seen to be done by the international community and the US-led sanctions continue to bite, political and moral questions will loom large.

The Venezuelan government recently filed a criminal case with the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the US over the blockade and what they term “Unilateral Coercive Measures”. Since the sanctions were imposed in 2017 the oil company of Venezuela literally collapsed, contributing to the decline in the nation’s income by 99%.

The US blockade has also compromised the supply of drinking water. Producers of pumps, energisation systems and spare parts have either delayed or cancelled the shipment of supplies due to restrictions on transactions.

The sanctions have also affected food imports, which began to fall as far back as 2014. The sanctions are also said to hamper humanitarian work by aid organisations such as the International

Committee of the Red Cross.

In a statement after filing a case with the ICC, the Venezuelan Vice-President, Delcy Rodriguez, said: “We do not intend to victimise ourselves and cry about the criminal blockade, but we do intend to demonstrate to the world the crimes that have been committed by the United States government and those who have joined this criminal blockade.”

As a result of the unilateral sanctions which Caracas argues are in contravention of international law, Washington has imposed punitive measures against at least 192 people associated with the Maduro government, 150 top companies, 69 vessels, 58 aircraft and 30 oil tankers, thus bringing the Venezuelan economy to its knees.

Meanwhile, Guaido has lost lots of ground since Russian President Vladimir Putin intervened to cushion the government systems in Caracas from complete collapse. Countries such as Iran, a long-time anti-thesis of the Western hegemony, also cooperated with the Maduro government in an endeavour to circumvent the sanctions.

The biggest dilemma for Washington will be how to reconfigure its foreign policy toward Caracas.