Briefing

The New CNE

Maduro’s National Assembly selected and swore in new CNE authorities. Roberto Picón Hernández, former electoral advisor of the opposition and former political prisoner, was appointed as one of the 5 Main Rectors

Naky Soto
  • Maduro’s National Assembly, dominated by PSUV, selected and swore in new CNE authorities on Tuesday, for a seven-year period. 
  1. Main rector: Alexis Corredor Pérez (PSUV member, former ANC deputy).
  2. Main rector: Tania D’amelio (former MVR deputy, sanctioned, 11 years working at CNE).
  3. Main rector: Enrique Márquez Pérez (deputy since 2000. Has been a militant in many parties, the last one was UNT). 
  4. Main rector: Pedro Calzadilla (PSUV, former minister)
  5. Main rector: Roberto Picón Hernández (engineer, former electoral advisor of the opposition, former political prisoner). 
  • The faction of the opposition grouped behind Juan Guaidó assured that appointing CNE authorities demands national consensus and international participation, and that the electoral referee shouldn’t be unilaterally appointed. They assure that partial negotiations done in the dark won’t allow for a true negotiation and are part of Maduro’s strategy. 
  • OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro rejected the dictatorship’s actions, which are “contrary to the democratic Rule of Law”. He said that because it stems from an illegitimate AN, all their actions are null. 
    • Almagro rejected the “actions by members of the international community who have induced negotiations to promote and validate agreements between the dictatorship and its collaborators.” 
  • The president of Caracas and Miranda’s Bioanalysts Guild Maria Esperanza Cabrera reported that 85% of public labs are paralyzed for lack of reagents. They’ve denounced the decay of the sector since 2012. 
  • Venezuela has a CNE but doesn’t have a vaccination plan yet. Meanwhile, four healthcare workers died during the first four days of May. 
  • Workers of Maracaibo’s University Hospital have to move dead bodies using the stairs because the elevators don’t work. They have also complained about not having enough PPE or medical supplies. 
  • The clinical trials of EpiVacCorona, the second Russian vaccine, started on Tuesday. The first patient was Russian ambassador to Caracas Sergey Melik Bagdasarov. Venezuela has received an undisclosed number of vaccines since March 30th. Russia still owes us the 10 million doses that Venezuela allegedly paid in 2020 and were supposed to arrive during the first quarter of the year. 
  • The secretary general of the Foreign Ministry Workers Union José Patines said the new salary increase was “disrespectful”. “What can a worker do with ten million bolivars?” he asked. He assured the regime didn’t consult on this increase because they only meet with pro-government unions. “If you’re against them, you’re a traitor,” he said. 
  • FundaRedes director Javier Tarazona reported five military officers were injured in combat against FARC in Cañitos de La Victoria. On Tuesday afternoon, it was reported that reserves and militias (with even less training than active military officers) were being deployed to Apure. 
  • Lechería mayor Manuel Ferreira said that lawyer José Francisco Santoyo succeeded in getting a 25-year prison sentence in the case of former police officer Onán Pereira, for shooting and killing César Pereira four years ago, while the man protested in El Peñón del Faro.
  • “Void for being unconstitutional,” said the Delegate Commission of the National Assembly elected in 2015 on the matter of providence 001-2021, which forces NGOs to enroll before the National Office Against Organized Crime and Terrorism Financing. 
  • Many sectors in Caracas and several states were affected by heavy rains and there were power outages on Tuesday afternoon. 
  • The U.S. government will keep working with its allies to exercise more pressure over Nicolás’s regime, assured Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday. He said that President Biden will work to achieve a peaceful road to democracy in Venezuela. 
  • In accordance with Capriles’s agenda, U.S. representative (D) Gregory Meeks, leader of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said that “there’s a window of opportunity to interact with Nicolás”. 
  • U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris considers the U.S. government must respond to the destitution of the Supreme Court justices and the general prosecutor in El Salvador. 
  • Isabel Díaz Ayuso won the elections in the Community of Madrid. Podemos candidate Pablo Iglesias resigned from all his posts and assured that he’s leaving politics after his defeat: “When you aren’t useful, you need to know how to retire,” he said. 

 

Naky Soto

Naky gets called Naibet at home and at the bank. She coordinates training programs for an NGO. She collects moments and turns them into words. She has more stories than freckles.

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