Page 5 - Nicolas Maduro

Venezuelan presidential election: Maduro wins 3rd term in disputed polls

Authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner in contentious Venezuelan election amid widespread irregularities in polls, sparking protests

Venezuela's prez election results don't reflect people's will: Blinken

Blinken on Monday said the international community was watching closely and would respond accordingly

Why Venezuela's prez elections should matter to the rest of the world

The future of Venezuela is on the line. Voters will decide Sunday whether to reelect President Nicolas Maduro, whose 11 years in office have been beset by crisis, or allow the opposition a chance to deliver on a promise to undo the ruling party's policies that caused economic collapse and forced millions to emigrate. Historically fractured opposition parties have coalesced behind a single candidate, giving the United Socialist Party of Venezuela its most serious electoral challenge in a presidential election in decades. Maduro is being challenged by former diplomat Edmundo Gonzlez Urrutia, who represents the resurgent opposition, and eight other candidates. Supporters of Maduro and Gonzalez marked the end of the official campaign season Thursday with massive demonstrations in the capital, Caracas. Here are some reasons why the election matters to the world: Migration impact. The election will impact migration flows regardless of the winner. The instability in Venezuela for the pas

Maduro seeks Venezuela military's support ahead of consequential vote

At a crossroads not far from a gas station overgrown with weeds, young men and women in faded green fatigues stop vehicles returning from a rally for opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, ask passengers for their identifications, and inspect their cars, trucks and motorcycles. Such checkpoints have proliferated across the country's vast tropical plains, forested highlands and beach fronts in the run-up to Sunday's presidential election, aiming to intimidate and occasionally detain government critics. They often involve a request for a ride, bananas or collaboration Venezuela's euphemism for a small bribe. But the power play frequently falls flat. When their superiors slip away from the scorching sun, the grunts betray their displeasure with Maduro and openness to a new commander in chief. Did the lady arrive? Were there a lot people? one giddy soldier asks about opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. We wanted to watch, but there is no Wi-Fi here, whispers another. S

Maduro begins re-election run while rival struggles to register candidacy

It's a tale of two dramatically different political campaigns. On Monday, throngs of supporters of President Nicols Maduro rallied at a giant stage draped in the red, yellow and blue colors of Venezuela's flag outside the electoral council headquarters where he is expected to make official his candidacy for a third term. Meanwhile, his would-be rivals tried to register their candidate, an 80-year-old unknown newcomer, before a midnight deadline but found they were unable to do so in what the opposition denounced as the latest attack on Venezuela's democracy. Polls show that Venezuelans would trounce the unpopular Maduro by a landslide if given half a chance. But the self-proclaimed socialist leader has so far managed to block his chief opponents from running while alternately negotiating and then reneging on minimal electoral guarantees promised to the U.S. government in exchange for relief from oil sanctions In a creative attempt to force Maduro's authoritarian hand, two smaller .

Venezuela govt keeps arresting opponents allegedly tied to criminal plots

As Venezuela's government would have it, President Nicolas Maduro and members of his inner circle have been the target of several conspiracies since last year that could have left them injured or worse. Few details have been released about the alleged plots. But the government has cited them in the arrests of more than 30 people since January including a prominent human rights attorney and staffers of the leading opposition presidential candidate. Local and international nongovernment groups, the United Nations and foreign governments have described the crackdown as a pretext to stifle political opposition ahead of the July 28 president election in which Maduro, in power since 2013, will seek a new six-year term. The latest arrests took place on Wednesday shortly before the country's top prosecutor announced arrest warrants for nine people working with Machado's campaign whom he accused of participating in one plot. Oscar Murillo, general coordinator for the Venezuelan human rights

Venezuela ruling party makes Maduro its candidate in upcoming prez election

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday became his party's official nominee for July's highly anticipated presidential election, which would allow him to stroll into a third consecutive term with no real competition on the horizon. Not unusual to Venezuela, the election has been plagued with controversy since Maduro's main opponent, Mara Corina Machado who swept an opposition coalition's primary election with more than 90 per cent of votes was disqualified by Venezuelan authorities to hold public office for 15 years. Maduro accepted the nomination as the ruling United Socialist Party's candidate for the July 28 presidential election during a party gathering in Caracas, saying he has the support of the people. According to the party, its decision was backed by over 4 million members who chose their candidate last week. A man alone would not be here. I am here for the people," Maduro said. Here, the candidate is not Maduro. Here, the candidate is the people. Maduro became .

Brazil's Lula welcomes back Venezuelan Prez for first time after ban

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva welcomed back his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro

Venezuelan president Maduro to fully open border with Colombia from Jan 1

Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro on Monday announced his intention to fully open the border crossings with Colombia starting January 1, a measure repeatedly postponed following the restoration of diplomatic and commercial ties between the South American neighbours. Relations between the countries were broken off in 2019, but Maduro has said the environment is conducive to improved ties with the election of Gustavo Petro as Colombia's first leftist president. The neighbours resumed diplomatic relations in September. I am going to announce that we will be completely opening the border, for all of western Venezuela with Colombia, for the passage of vehicles, motorcycles, trucks as of January 1. Maduro said on state television. We are preparing everything to comply with what we announced, to fulfill what was promised to President Gustavo Petro, he said. Petro has recognised Maduro as the legitimate president of Venezuela. His predecessor, Ivn Duque, along with dozens of other countri

US looking to ease sanctions on Venezuela to boost oil supply: Report

The deal may be announced by the end of October and will allow US oil companies to drill oil in Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro will hold a free, fair presidential elections in 2024 in return

Venezuela will be guarantor in Colombian peace talks: President Maduro

Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro on Tuesday said his government will act as a guarantor in peace talks between Colombia's government and the National Liberation Army rebel group that are slated to begin later this year. Maduro said on national television that he had accepted a request by Colombian President Gustavo Petro to take on the diplomatic role, adding that his socialist government was interested in fomenting peace, security and stability in Colombia and throughout the continent. Previous peace talks between the Colombian government and rebel groups have included the participation of guarantor nations that have acted as observers of the negotiations and supported both sides with logistics. Venezuela was a guarantor nation in a previous round of negotiations between Colombia and the National Liberation Army, or ELN, that began in 2016. But the Colombian government asked the Maduro administration to step down from that role in 2018, as political tensions increased between the

Colombia, Venezuela re-establish full diplomatic ties after 3 years

Colombia's new leftist President Gustavo Petro and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro had announced they would restore diplomatic relations earlier in the month

Venezuela President Maduro brands EU electoral observers 'spies'

Local and regional elections enjoyed better conditions than during previous voting, the EU mission said on Tuesday

Venezuela: Maduro's 'miracle' treatment for Covid-19 draws skeptics

His government has released no evidence. He even kept secret the name of the "brilliant Venezuelan mind" behind it, saying he needed to protect them

Venezuela's oil exports sink to 1940's level under tighter US sanctions

Pressured by strict US sanctions, Venezuela's oil exports plunged by 376,500 barrels per day (bpd) in 2020, according to data and internal documents

West refused to unfreeze Venezuelan funds for vaccine purchase: President

EU nations and the United States have refused Venezuela's request to unfreeze its assets, so that the sanctions-hit country could purchase a coronavirus vaccine, President Nicolas Maduro has said

Venezuela resumes direct oil shipments to China despite US sanctions

The imposition of the sanctions was part of a push by the Trump administration to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro

Venezuela's Maduro writes to 'peoples of the world' denouncing US sanctions

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has addressed a letter "to the peoples of the world" on his government's response to Washington's unilateral measures against his country

Venezuelan president Maduro says USA spy captured near refineries

Nicols Maduro said that Venezuelan authorities captured a US spy targeting a pair of refineries on the north Caribbean coast as this nation once wealthy from oil is gripped by a deep gasoline shortage

Maduro says Russian coronavirus vaccine to arrive in Venezuela in Sept 2020

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Russia's Sputnik-V vaccine against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) would be delivered to Venezuela in September 2020 for clinical trials