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Weekly Report - 25 July 2024 (WR-24-29)

VENEZUELA : Opposition optimistic ahead of polls

A palpable sense of optimism is spreading through the Venezuelan opposition ahead of the presidential election on 28 July. As the campaign period concluded on 25 July, the playing field remained tilted in favour of President Nicolás Maduro as he defends a challenge from Edmundo González, the candidate for the opposition Plataforma Unitaria Democrática (PUD) coalition. Yet González has exceeded all expectations so far. Thrown into the ring as a last resort after all leading opposition contenders were disqualified, his campaign has united the fractious PUD and weathered the relentless arrests of its activists. With Maduro trailing heavily in the polls, it is Venezuela’s electoral authorities that pose the greatest obstacle to an opposition victory. Fiercely loyal to Maduro, they have kept international electoral observation to a bare minimum in a sign that they could be preparing to rig the vote.

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