Why Trump won’t allow Venezuela to hold elections
VENEZUELA – Current news stories from around the world: Trump won’t let Venezuela hold elections in November after a three-month delay in granting the presidential powers to the opposition.
The United States has been holding its annual summit in Venezuela for the past six weeks and Venezuela is now the only country in the world that does not hold elections.
Venezuela’s Supreme Court earlier this week ruled that the November election will not take place, though the court did not make a decision on a presidential run-off.
“President Trump’s decision to hold off on the vote will not have any effect on the electoral process,” Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) said in a statement on Tuesday.
“We will continue to press for democratic reforms in Venezuela, including the establishment of an independent electoral authority.
The government of President Maduro is now facing serious challenges to its legitimacy, and we must continue to do our part to guarantee that Venezuela’s democracy will not be challenged.”
The opposition has repeatedly asked for an election to take place this year, and on Friday the CNE said it would issue a declaration for the vote, which would be held Nov. 4.
However, Maduro said the declaration would not take effect until the presidential election takes place.
The CNE issued a statement in response to the United States’ refusal to hold a presidential election: “The CNT will not allow the Venezuelan people to be denied the right to elect their president,” the statement said.
“The opposition will not accept the declaration of an electoral commission, but will continue fighting for elections.”
Maduro has been under pressure to hold the presidential vote since last December when he said the CNT was not ready to negotiate with the opposition after Maduro’s socialist government refused to allow him to meet them in person.
Maduro also has denied the CNG, or Central National Guard, opposition leaders, who are in exile in neighboring Venezuela.
President Trump has been trying to reach an agreement to resolve the crisis with Maduro, which has left millions of Venezuelans in the dark about the outcome of the presidential race.
At the end of September, the U.S. State Department urged the U,S.
government to intervene, saying “the CNE’s decision on the presidential elections is in contravention of the Venezuelan constitution, and the U of S is currently evaluating the CNP’s actions and its decision to intervene in the elections process.”
The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution in September that urged the CNI to allow Maduro to hold an election, but the CNA refused to budge.
Trump and Maduro have a longstanding dispute over who is the legitimate leader of the CND, which was founded in the 1980s and has repeatedly rejected the legitimacy of Maduro as the leader of his country.
The CNE has said that Maduro has not been legitimate as president since 1998 and that he is a criminal.
Maduro has denied all accusations.
