A new failed attempt by a different route: the recall. The National Electoral Council (CNE) ordered this Wednesday 1,200 centers for Venezuelans to sign in order to promote a referendum against Nicholas Maduro. The problem is that those who promoted the initiative call for not participating because they only have 12 hours to collect 4.5 million demonstrations, an almost impossible goal.
(Read here: Guaidó calls the streets and denounces threats against him)
For that number to be reached, five people would have to sign per minute in the 1,200 centers and without interrupting the process. This is what César Pérez Vivas, one of the members of the Movement for the Revocation (Mover), has said, for what he considers a “mockery” to Venezuelans who wish to execute this resource established in article 72 of the Constitution.
On January 17, Mover filed a document with the CNE for the fourth time requesting the activation of the referendum. A few days later, the entity published the admission of the request and then a schedule that the opponents have challenged and for that reason they will not sign, because the minimum that should be given was 15 days for the preparation of the process. However, once this attempt is closed, another one cannot be summoned again. The results will be given on February 13.
But in addition to the inconvenience of the schedule, there are two more aspects that concern Mover, and that is the fact that 14,000 voting centers are set up in the country for a current election and this time only 1,200. The other thing, as reported by Nicmer Evans, one of the coordinators of the initiative, is that many of the collection points are located in areas dominated by the chavismo or in the case of Apure state at the headquarters of the National Liberation Army (Eln).
(In context: Opposition will only have 12 hours to collect signatures against Maduro)
Besides that, God given hairVice President of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), said that Maduro “has the right to know who is asking to revoke it” so they would go to the CNE to request the names of those who had signed.
This situation is similar to that of 2004 with the famous “Tascón List”. That year a referendum was held Hugo Chavez, but those who requested it were fired from their jobs and even persecuted. The names were published by the then deputy Luis Tascón. The Inter-American Court of Rights (IACHR) has asked the Venezuelan State to comply with the victims of this action.
These 4.5 million signatures that had to be collected correspond to 20 percent of the electoral register with a little more than 20,000,000. In order to revoke Maduro, more than 6.3 million votes are needed if that process is reached, otherwise, by electoral means, it would be to wait for the presidential elections of 2024, although Juan Guaidó, recognized as president in charge of Venezuela by 55 countries , insists on holding those elections as soon as possible.
Now, with this new political maneuver, in which two directors of the CNE have been in disagreement -Enrique Márquez and Roberto Picón- and even the United States, which has said that “Maduro is afraid to submit to the will of the people.”
Those who wonder whether or not this undermines the legitimacy of the Maduro regime, the answers vary. There are some who consider that the activation process should never have started because the ruler is illegitimate. For him political scientist Pablo Andrés Quintero, the president has legitimacy, but he also has administrative control and the Armed Forces, what if he returns to public opinion is the electoral issue.
“The route to leave Maduro for a transition, is it electoral or not? The electoral route must be considered taking into account that others have failed,” Quintero told EL TIEMPO, referring to the mechanism of the Organization of American States (OAS) such as the responsibility to protect, the military route, or force. “It would be necessary to see the level of organization of the opposition, but work must be done for the presidential elections,” he insists.
ANA RODRIGUEZ BRAZON
TIME CORRESPONDENT
CARACAS
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