Several factors leave open the possibility of a change in the direction of the Venezuelan government, although the factor weighing most heavily is uncertainty.
HAVANA TIMES – Although Nicaragua and Venezuela have often been compared due to the authoritarian model that dominates in both, there are some very different ingredients making up their political contexts, especially with regard to the electoral process that Venezuelans are currently experiencing.
Ten competing candidates will appear on the Venezuelan ballot on July 28, all hoping to obtain or maintain the presidential seat. The two most relevant candidates, however, are Nicolas Maduro, who is seeking a third six-year term in a country sunk in a longstanding crisis; and Edmundo Gonzalez who represents the majority opposition.
Nicaraguan political expert Felix Maradiaga recognizes that it’s very hard to feel optimistic about the upcoming elections in Venezuela. The regime there will doubtless be replicating some of the diverse tactics of electoral fraud that the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship implemented in Nicaragua to extend the power they’ve held since 2007.
However, he noted that among those who specialize in the subject there’s consensus that the regime in Nicaragua has closed itself off, in terms of electoral matters and civic spaces, substantially more than Venezuela.
Maradiaga highlighted the premise that: “Not all dictatorships are the same, since some are more closed than others.” In the case of Nicaragua, different international organizations have coincided in pointing out the brutality of the regime headed by Daniel Ortega and his wife and vice president Rosario Murillo.
One of the most notorious differences between the two countries’ electoral processes has been that in the case of Venezuela, the opposition has managed to hold large political rallies. One such gathering took place on July 4 – the official opening day of the electoral campaign – when the main opposition candidate, hand-in-hand with leader Maria Corina Machado [who was barred from running], brought together thousands of followers.
In Nicaragua, the last presidential election in 2021 was marked by the jailing of the principal contenders who sought to challenge Daniel Ortega. In other words, Ortega assured himself that there would be no obstacles whatsoever in his path towards being elected for a fourth consecutive term.
Edmundo Gonzalez, candidate for Venezuela’s largest opposition bloc, has promised th
