Venezuela's Maduro meets foreign observers ahead of assembly vote

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has met with foreign delegations who arrived in the country earlier to monitor the parliamentary elections.

Maduro and his allies are poised to win back control of the National Assembly in elections on Sunday. The president has vowed “to step down if opposition wins parliamentary polls.” The US-led opposition, led by Juan Guaido, has boycotted the polls.

The Venezuelan leader met observer delegations from Russia, Iran and Turkey on Saturday. He also met with Bolivia’s former president, Evo Morales, who heads the Bolivian observer team.

Maduro, on Twitter, thanked the foreign delegations who had come to the country to monitor the election process. “I am very grateful for the trouble you have gone to in order to monitor the crucial elections,” he was quoted as saying.   

Following Maduro's re-election in 2018, Guaidó was recognized as “interim president” by the National Assembly, the United States and more than 50 other nations allied with Washington in January 2019. The opposition leader later staged an abortive coup with support from the US.

Maduro has repeatedly noted that the US, with the opposition’s help, has been trying to oust him from power through economic sanctions and other means.

Maduro said in his tweet that the Venezuelan nation will show their resistance against the harsh sanctions by their huge participation in the Sunday vote.

Venezuela's Maduro 'to step down if opposition wins parliamentary polls'

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says he will step down from his post if his party loses to the opposition in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

On Saturday, the White House National Security Council claimed the election was fraudulent.

“This election only serves to keep Maduro in power and does nothing to build a better future for the people of Venezuela,” the council tweeted. “The US will continue its unwavering demands for freedom, basic human rights, the rule of law, and truly fair elections in Venezuela.”

As a result of foreign sanctions, Venezuelans are living in dire conditions, struggling with basic needs such as electricity, security and food.

Guaido’s self-declared mandate is due to expire on January 5 when the new assembly is due to take power. His recognition as “interim president” was based on his position as head of the National Assembly.

However, Guaido and his loyalists have dismissed the Sunday vote as illegitimate and argue that whoever succeeds him will also lack legitimacy.

Guaido’s decision to boycott the election, however, has raised questions about his strategies and left the opposition divided. Despite the boycott, a number of opposition parties are standing.

The opposition leader has called on Venezuelans to skip the vote and participate in a December 12 consultation that will ask citizens whether they want a change of government.

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