US-backed opposition parties pledge to boycott Venezuela’s December election
Venezuela’s opposition parties spearheaded by US-backed opposition figure Juan Guaido say they will not partake in the upcoming parliamentary elections in December, once again making claims of electoral fraud dating back to the 2018 vote for democratically-elected President Nicolas Maduro.
Over two dozen Venezuelan opposition parties announced in a statement on Sunday that they would boycott the parliamentary vote on December 6, claiming that the electoral system was “unfair.”
The statement, signed by 26 opposition parties that all backed Guaido, also accused the government in Caracas of cracking down on political dissent and curbing the freedom of opposition-ruled legislature.
The parties boycotted Maduro’s 2018 re-election on similar grounds and now label the popular socialist leader a “usurper.”
Guaido pushed the oil-rich Latin American country into political turmoil by rejecting the results of the 2018 presidential election after Maduro won nearly 70 percent of the votes.
The opposition figure, denounced by Maduro as a ‘US puppet,’ later declared himself ‘interim president’ of Venezuela in January last year and was immediately recognized by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
Guaido, who has defended Washington's sanctions aimed at toppling the government in Caracas, has been severely criticized for asking Trump to overthrow Maduro by activating all options, including a military invasion.
The sanctions, which include the illegal confiscation of Venezuelan assets abroad and an economic blockade, have caused enormous suffering for millions of people in the country.
Although Guaido has the backing of the US and a number of countries, efforts to remove Maduro have stalled since he retains control of most state functions and the support of the powerful armed forces as well as that of allies China, Russia and Cuba.
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