CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) 鈥 As Venezuelans head to a Sunday election, they are again being used as political pawns. Opposition factions are urging abstention while the ruling party aims to tighten its grip on power 鈥 all while both sides appeal to the U.S. government for decisions that would have a greater impact on people鈥檚 lives than the vote鈥檚 results.
The election for members of the National Assembly, governors and other regional offices will be the first to allow broad voter participation since last year鈥檚 presidential contest, which President Nicol谩s Maduro claimed to have won .
The contest comes as the opposition鈥檚 most recognizable figure, Mar铆a Corina Machado, remains in hiding to avoid arrest and most other leaders are in exile or prison due to the unleashed after the July election.
鈥淲e lost confidence in voting. On July 28, they made fun of us,鈥 said Carmen Medina, who sells plastic jewelry in the capital, Caracas. 鈥淚鈥檓 not planning to vote.鈥
A nationwide poll conducted between April 29 and May 4 by the Venezuela-based research firm Delphos showed that only 15.9% of voters expressed a high probability of voting Sunday. Of those, 74.2% said they would vote for the candidates of the and its allies, while 13.8% said they would vote for contenders associated with two opposition leaders who ignored Machado鈥檚 call to boycott the elections.
Sociologist Roberto Brice帽o, director of the independent Laboratory of Social Sciences research group, said many Venezuelans no longer see their vote as a tool to 鈥済enerate change or improve the country鈥檚 dire situation.鈥 After July鈥檚 election, he said, people are living with a 鈥減ersistent sadness about the future鈥 as 鈥渢hey feel they did their part鈥 to get someone other than Maduro elected.
Venezuela鈥檚 most recent economic troubles pushed year-over-year inflation in April to 172%, bringing the price of food and other basic goods for a family to $409 a month, according to a group of economists. Meanwhile, the value of the monthly minimum wage, paid to state employees in Venezuelan bolivares, dropped to $1.36, which they supplement with a roughly $100 monthly government bonus and second or third jobs.
The latest chapter in the 12-year crisis even prompted to last month.
At the heart of the recent challenges of the oil-dependent economy is that determines the activities of energy giant Chevron Corp. in Venezuela.
The company has become responsible over the past two years for about 20% of Venezuela鈥檚 oil production and a regular infusion of U.S. dollars that ultimately helped the government maintain an artificially low currency exchange rate. That rate is crucial to Venezuelans as it determines the prices of food, goods and services.
Oil money
Chevron鈥檚 permit, formally known as a general license, was granted by the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden. But under , the White House rescinded it in February, giving Chevron time to wind down its operations in the South American country and meeting one of Machado’s appeals.
The U.S.‘s decision to either stick to the rescission, or fulfill Maduro鈥檚 wish to extend Chevron鈥檚 wind-down period beyond its May 27 expiration date, will have a greater, more immediate effect on Venezuelans than the result of Sunday’s poll.
That is because Maduro鈥檚 government controls seemingly every aspect of the country, including health and social services, utilities and education. It also by, for instance, disqualifying a candidate after the election or appointing a ruling-party loyalist to oversee the elected offices held by opposition members, rendering them powerless.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a Machado supporter, on Wednesday posted on X that Chevron’s oil license will expire as scheduled, contradicting statements from Trump鈥檚 envoy for special missions, , who after meeting with Maduro鈥檚 negotiators Tuesday said it would be extended by 60 days.
Asked for clarity on Rubio and Grenell鈥檚 differing positions, White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said 鈥淪ecretary Rubio, as Secretary of State and National Security Adviser, is representing the Administration鈥檚 position.鈥
Calls for boycotts
The ruling party-loyal National Electoral Council will oversee Sunday鈥檚 election for state legislators, 285 members of the unicameral National Assembly and all 24 governors, including the newly created governorship , a region long under dispute between Venezuela and neighboring Guyana.
Earlier this month, the Electoral Council moved to remove the QR code that previously appeared on the tally sheets that every electronic voting machine used in an election printed after polls closed. The tally sheets are considered , and their QR codes were used by Machado鈥檚 team to show that opposition candidate Edmundo Gonz谩lez defeated Maduro by a more than 2-to-1 margin in July.
Some opposition factions, including Machado鈥檚, are using social media to urge people to not vote Sunday, arguing that casting votes legitimizes Maduro鈥檚 government. But voters have grown accustomed to opposition leaders promoting boycotts on and off for years without delivering the promised change.
The strategy is destined to fail again without unanimity.
鈥淭he government has co-opted some opposition (parties) and there鈥檚 other opposition that are just tired of this strategy that鈥檚 never worked,鈥 said David Smilde, a Tulane University professor who has studied Venezuela for 30 years. 鈥淪o, what you are going to have is a partial boycott, which means the government is going to cruise to victory and can say, 鈥榃e had elections, the opposition didn鈥檛 participate.’ It鈥檚 going to backfire on the opposition.鈥
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