Socialist Maduro, 61, will seek reelection Sunday to a third six-year term amid accusations of opposition harassment by an increasingly authoritarian regime.

His government agreed with the opposition last year to hold free and fair elections in 2024, with international observers present — winning a temporary easing of sanctions from the United States.

But he since reneged on some of the conditions, and loyalist institutions barred opposition leader Maria Corina Machado from running against him.

On Friday, Panama said its former president Mireya Moscoso, as well as former leaders Miguel Angel Rodriguez of Costa Rica, Jorge Quiroga of Bolivia and Vicente Fox of Mexico, had their plane held up.

The group, which also included former Colombian vice president Marta Lucia Ramirez, got off to allow the plane, with many Venezuelan voters on board, to take off.

  • @PugJesus
    link
    English
    164 months ago

    Really loving the usual suspects coming in here to immediately play apologist. Fuck Maduro.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      34 months ago

      Yeah I can’t say I know the political situation that well, but as of the end of 2023 the number of Venezuelans illegally crossing (47,000) had increased to just below the number of Mexicans (56,000.) It is a lot harder trip for the Venezuelans because they must cross the Darien Gap on foot, so something must be wrong in Venezuela.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      14 months ago

      You have to admit it’s pretty interesting that OP went with a Voice of America source.

      It’s also pretty interesting that I’ve never seen VOA being posted until the election season decided to really kick off.

      • @PugJesus
        link
        English
        24 months ago

        It’s also pretty interesting that I’ve never seen VOA being posted until the election season decided to really kick off.

        Then you haven’t been paying attention.

          • @PugJesus
            link
            English
            34 months ago

            Not enough, then, unless you count the entire time from the exodus 'til now as being part of the election season. Which, while not incorrect, would not be particularly useful for identifying trends in sources.

            • @[email protected]
              link
              fedilink
              1
              edit-2
              4 months ago

              You’re right. “Never” was a strong choice. “Rarely and definitely not daily in trending.”

              • @PugJesus
                link
                English
                34 months ago

                I remember seeing it often enough that there were frequent quarrels over the source in the comments that I was usually involved in.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    124 months ago

    Can’t speak for other situations but as spanish I must clarify that the reasons why the Spanish PP party “observers” were kicked out is because they lacked the proper VISA to be officially electoral observers and the proper invitation to act as such from the electoral authorities from Venezuela, which more than 1000 observers from the whole electoral field (some of them far right BTW) managed to get, because they followed the proper bureaucracy to get them. They traveled on a tourist VISA and when they got rejected they claimed in social media as if they were almost being kidnapped by Venezuelan authorities. An embarrassment for my country is what they are…

  • @TokenBoomer
    link
    -124 months ago

    Voice of America? Nobody asked for my opinion.

    • @gedaliyahOPM
      link
      64 months ago

      I can’t tell if you’re actually joking about election interference, or if you have some bizarre critique of the source

      • @TokenBoomer
        link
        -14 months ago

        The intent of the 1948 legislation was to protect the American public from propaganda by its own government and to avoid any competition with private American companies. Smith-Mundt Act

        • @gedaliyahOPM
          link
          44 months ago

          The article is from the AFP wire. It says there right at the top if you just click on the link posted. Hope this helps.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      64 months ago

      It’s “Voice of America”, not “Voice of TokenBoomer”, so I don’t see an issue.

      Also, it’s called that because it’s the official mouthpiece of the United States Government.

      • Maeve
        link
        fedilink
        14 months ago

        … I don’t see an issue. Also, it’s called that because it’s the official mouthpiece of the United States Government.

        Lol

    • Maeve
      link
      fedilink
      -14 months ago

      Yes, I’d like to hear from less USA/Western (USA bootlickers)-centric sources, myself. If this is true, winning by cheating isn’t a win, and may prove to have unfortunate consequences. Of course, socialist or Communist winning anything may also have unfortunate consequences, especially when we (USA) send in the jackals.

      • @gedaliyahOPM
        link
        44 months ago

        It’s from the AFP newswire.

        It’s difficult to imagine a more credible source.

      • Flying Squid
        link
        24 months ago

        Yes, the French are well-known for being “USA bootlickers.”