Dialogue RIP: Diosdado Announces Presidential Vote Before May with No Agreement
The early bird catches the presidency. An announcement of presidential elections before April 30th, without minimum guarantees of fairness, scrambles an already scrambled political scene.
This morning, speaking to the all-chavista National Constituent Assembly, Diosdado Cabello motioned for the presidential elections to be held during the first quarter of the year, before April 30th.
Eugenio Martínez, the go-to elections journalist, shared this on Twitter:
Es evidente que una elección antes del 30 de abril carecerá de las condiciones técnicas mínimas que permitan asegurar que el chavismo (que controla el sistema) no manipulará los resultados como hizo en #Bolívar
— Eugenio G. Martínez (@puzkas) January 23, 2018
It’s obvious that an election before April 30 will lack the minimal technical conditions that could guarantee that chavismo (in control of the system) won’t manipulate the results like they did in #Bolívar State.
We all saw it coming, but it’s obviously enraging and worrisome. This announcement short-circuits the negotiations with the opposition in the Dominican Republic, which were supposed to be precisely about the when and how of Presidential Elections this year.
The recall referendum in 2016 didn’t happen because, according to the CNE, there wasn’t enough time. Now, an illegitimate body might decide the fate of the country and we all know which color they’ll want the map to be.
This story will be updated as soon as we can confirm more information.
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