Venezuela is calling on the opposition to vote in an election

Caracas, Venezuela – In the few years since the Venezuelan crisis began, 35-year-old Yazira Boss has lost almost everything to its fall: her mother, who died of a heart problem that left her incurable; His brothers, for emigration; His faith in democracy, for the country’s disabled institutions.

So, on Sunday, when the Venezuelan people go to the polls to elect new legislators, he will not vote. He said the election was nothing more than a fight designed to convince the world that there was freedom in Venezuela.

The Venezuelan people will vote Sunday in an election that critics call a theatrical piece to justify the government of President Nicolas Maduro for the past seven years. Imprisoning enemies, Dissecting the opposition And uses Unjust killings To control disagreement.

If his allies win control of the newly expanded 277-seat National Assembly, they will be widely expected to step down. Maduro will take over the political institution of the country’s last major opposition party, which is consolidating its grip on the nation.

This election could significantly weaken opposition leader and legislator Juan Kaida in 2019. Began a bold attempt Mr. With the announcement of Maduro as the country’s interim president, the support of the United States and dozens of countries.

But Mr. Gaida’s attempt for power failed to gain traction, and what he said to the presidency is rooted in being the current Speaker of the National Assembly.

Following the election of a new legislature, Mr. Guide will no longer be a legislator – he is abstaining from voting – and it is increasingly difficult for foreign countries to recognize him as president of Venezuela. Many Venezuelans eager for change have called for a new opposition leadership, which some analysts call the moment of his coalition, sometimes called the G4.

“The idea that the G4 is the sole representative of the Venezuelan opposition is dead,” said Sergio Jaramillo, a former Colombian official who advises peace talks around the world. “Still an all-inclusive approach is needed.”

Mr. Guide and his associates Mr. They say they are boycotting the vote to avoid legalizing a process used to support Maduro. Instead, they will hold their own event online and in person, in which the Venezuelan people can register their desire to change government. Mr. Guide called it the “alternative to fraud.”

He and his constituents, who were elected in 2015, have stated that they will continue to be the legitimate legislature, which has kind of paralyzed Congress over time.

It drew criticism from some opposition politicians who decided to run on Sunday, declaring that no one can expect change if they are not at the table, no matter how many fail at the table.

“We cannot abandon the vote as a means of struggle and a tool for change,” said Armando Amenguel, a dissident candidate from the state of Karachi.

Mr. He said Gaida’s “vision of change” was exhausted.

Independent observers have declared the election too flawed.

A Report on election conditions Published by Andres Bello, Venezuela’s University Catalica, and a government agency, investigators described how the Venezuelan High Court was removed this year. Four three The main opposition parties under their leadership are allowing governments to unite parties with friendly politicians.

The authors of the report said that the country’s electoral system had increased the number of seats in the National Assembly from 167 to 277 this year, in an attempt to divide the opposition, saying it was a clear constitutional violation, “paving the way for the ruling party to win.”

Among other issues, there are widespread fears that voters will be deprived of food benefits if they do not vote among voters, or if they do not vote for Maduro-backed candidates, rumors promoted by the government.

Mr. Diostato Capello, a top figure in Maduro’s party, recently mocked mothers for threatening their family members at a campaign event:Those who do not vote, will not eat. ”

No major international body monitors the vote. Mr. Maduro called on the European Union to look into the matter. But the authorities refused, Said not giving them enough time to organize a proper mission.

Despite fears of a government backlash, turnout is expected to be low, with many afraid to vote because of the corona virus, or because they consider voting meaningless.

In many parts of the country, the deepening economic crisis and Mr. The US-backed attempt to oust Maduro has failed, fueling feelings of abandonment and political incompetence.

Who cares if Donald Trump or the new president of the United States helps us or not, ”said Jose Urdanetta, 56.

It makes no difference, he continued. “Here, we are defending ourselves or we are dying.”

The election is coming at a very difficult time for Venezuela. Hunger, unemployment, lack of gasoline and the breakdown of the health system have all worsened with the corona virus.

As the U.S. dollar has increasingly converted the bolivar into a common currency, the gap between the poor, the rich, and individuals affiliated with the government – often the “enchufatos” or inserted crowd – has skyrocketed, and commodity prices have skyrocketed.

Ninety-two percent of the respondents October referendum Datanalysis had a negative view of the situation in the country, the highest number since 2011.

Mr. Maduro’s rejection rating was 82 percent, Mr. 67 per cent of the guides, they are both close to the records.

Ms. Boss, the woman who lost so much in the midst of the country’s downfall, once lived a decent life as a store manager. She left that job to care for her ailing mother, and later fled to Peru to be watched with a broken heart as her brothers struggled to raise money for their mother’s care.

The government, with its health system collapsing, did not provide any assistance and they never raised enough for a dangerous operation in a private hospital.

His mother died in December of a heart attack. Ms. Boss is now preparing to leave Venezuela for Peru to join her siblings.

“No one will drive me out of the house to vote on Sunday,” he said recently as he waited in a government office to get the ID card he needed to travel. 1,576 in her order.

“What are they threatening me with? If they don’t give me anything, what can they take from me? They have already taken everything. “

Sheila Urdanetta reported from Maracaibo, Venezuela, and Tbise Romero, from Valencia, Venezuela.