Venezuela president rejects vote suspension claims
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has rejected claims that he is considering the suspension of the country’s legislative elections expected to be held later this year..
“Rain, thunder or lightning, this country is going to have parliamentary elections in 2015,” Maduro said on Wednesday. The vote must be held before the year is up.
Earlier on Wednesday, Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles accused Maduro of attempting to cancel the parliamentary vote over fears of a coup.
Maduro had hinted at the possibility that the opposition would use the election as an excuse to destabilize the situation in the country, but said that voters would hand Caracas a big victory.
Last month, Maduro said that Venezuela had foiled a coup attempt financed by the United States, which could have resulted in an aerial attack against the country’s presidential palace.
Also in February, Venezuela arrested Caracas’ mayor Antonio Ledezma after accusing him of being involved in efforts for a US-funded coup against the government.
This comes as the approval rating of Maduro’s Socialist government dropped to 22 percent back in January, the lowest the party has seen since 1999. The country is struggling with a 60-percent inflation rate.
The government of Venezuela has repeatedly accused the opposition of trying to stage a coup d’état in the South American country with the backing of Washington.
In December, 2014, Maduro said that he had “recordings” that reveal the US was seeking to corrupt Venezuelan government officials.
Caracas and Washington remain at odds since late Hugo Chavez became president in 1999. Both sides have refused to exchange ambassadors since 2010. The countries have chargé d’affaires running their respective embassies.
SZH/HJL/HMV
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