Venezuela: The opposition leader banned by Maduro opens the way for him in the opinion polls

With just under a month before the primaries, the main name of the Venezuelan opposition, María Corina Machado, has a strong advantage in voting intentions for the election, despite institutional sabotage by the Venezuelan government. Nicolas Maduro.

According to polls, the right-wing leader has 40% of voters’ preferences, with an upward trend. The pre-candidate’s numbers are three times higher than those of second place, Henrik Capriles Radonski.

María Corina Machado’s candidacy was disqualified in June by the Chavista regime, which declared the challenger ineligible for 15 years. Without discussing the reasons or validity of the exclusion, Diosdado Cabello, the second-in-command of the Chavismo movement, stated several times that it would be impossible for María Corinna to register herself as a candidate, and claimed that she was “deceiving her followers.”

Despite the numerical advantage, the opposition complains of its inability to access the media. By political advisor Osvaldo Ramirez in statements to the Spanish newspaper El PaisEight out of ten Venezuelans want a change in the country’s direction.

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“There is a context in which people feel disconnected from politics and the government party. They explain that there may be a renewal of the opposition leadership. The traditional leadership of the unionist platform has its influence here. María Corina’s efforts to differentiate herself from them have paid off,” he added.

But fears that elections will not be held are increasing in the country. Some civilian volunteers resigned due to technical problems. One of the major names in Not only has the Primary Electoral Commission Maria Carolina Ozcategui resigned, but she is now waging a campaign against the electoral process.

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The Unitary Platform issued a statement, amid the attacks, condemning “the plan implemented by Nicolas Maduro, through his various spokesmen, against the right of the Venezuelan people to choose their unitary candidate through democratic elections.” Omar Barboza, the platform’s executive secretary, said there was a “malicious plan” orchestrated by Miraflores to weaken the will and “attract spokespersons” who would discredit the election.