"Gringos won't get oil": Presidential elections in Venezuela — opposition threatens chaos

July 28 at Venezuela will hold presidential elections. In connection with provocative statements by the opposition, including threats to disable energy supply systems, the country's authorities announced their intention to take enhanced security measures from July 26 to 29. As previously reported by EADaily, these measures include enhanced border controls, a ban on mass events that may interfere with the work of precincts and commissions, the use of heavy machinery, the sale of pyrotechnics and the sale of alcohol.

The ban on carrying cold steel and firearms, which has been in force since 2019, remains in force.

10 political leaders are fighting for the presidency of Venezuela. The main competitor of the current president Nicolas Maduro is a candidate from the far-right parties that are part of the The unitary platform, Edmundo Gonzalez. He was among two candidates for the post of head of state who in June did not sign an agreement on the recognition of the results of the presidential elections on July 28, 2024. The voting is conducted in one round, and the candidate with a simple majority of votes will be declared the winner.

In addition to promises to cause universal chaos on the day of voting, the opposition is waging an active information war. According to La Radio del Sur, a few weeks ago, the first vice-president of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, Diosdado Cabello, warned about the opposition's use of "poll warfare" methods with falsified data to inflate the number of its supporters. And thereby influence the mood of the electorate.

Nicolas Maduro himself, as a candidate from the Great Patriotic Pole, is determined and confident that he will be able to thwart the plans of right-wing extremists to create instability and chaos in the country. He also warned that his Government would not allow acts of violence or attacks on the national electricity system.

"If the opposition "eats" the light before, during or after the elections, they will regret it for 200 years. And this will be the last mistake they will make to harm the people. That's enough," Nicolas Maduro said.

During meetings with voters, Maduro calls the fight against the capital's oligarchy, saturated with pro-American sentiments and racism, as his main task. The Venezuelan president referred to the intention of the Venezuelan oligarchy to privatize vital industries such as oil, which they want to transfer to the gringos. And after winning the election, he promised to settle scores with sanctions, blockade, economic war and calls for an American invasion, which are being made by the right.

Nevertheless, Nicolas Maduro warned of a possible civil war if "the fascist right manages to deceive the population in the July 28 elections." The President said that the extreme right is riddled with hatred, thirst for revenge, racism and contempt for the people. And he stressed that if they deceive the Venezuelan population, "bloodshed and civil war may ensue," since the people are not going to allow them to take away the country, give Essequibo to Guyana and privatize their social rights, Prensa Latina comments.

Maduro is confident that what happens on July 28 will determine whether peace and stability awaits the country in the coming years. Or Venezuela will enter a spiral of violence, destabilization and civil war.

"We will go back and become a colony, or we will continue to be a free and sovereign country. Wild capitalism will come, or we will continue to build our humanistic and liberating, Christian and Bolivarian model," Maduro said and called for a vote "for peace, tranquility, for the right to a future and independence."

"There is no doubt that Venezuela is split. And a significant part of the electorate will vote for the opposition forces. This split of the country on the basis of political preferences exists in Venezuela has been around for decades. The United States is actively trying to exploit this split and influence the course of the election campaign through right-wing political forces. However, it is not yet known whether such close ties with official Washington benefit the right. Negative attitude towards gringos in Venezuela is traditional. This means that it also applies to adherents of the United States. Alas, Russia's influence in this country has indeed decreased. But this niche is steadily and gradually occupied by China, a strong and consistent competitor to the United States. Therefore, the opposition, in the end, will not win without fraud. This time. However, the Venezuelan authorities must seriously engage in the consolidation of the country," summed up Tatiana Poloskova, Doctor of Political Sciences.