This past week saw the official launch of the electoral campaign in Venezuela, which will last until July 25. The current president, Nicolás Maduro, of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), and the right-wing leader Edmundo González Urrutia, of the United Democratic Platform, are currently leading the polls for the July 28 elections.
On July 4, Maduro chose the state of Zulia and later on went to the capital city of Caracas, to start his campaign. González Urrutia also decided to launch his campaign in Caracas in a caravan. The initial campaign strategy of both candidates consisted of marching through the streets of the city, hoping to show massive support for their candidacies. Both candidates focused on displaying religious symbols, discussing a hopeful future, and praising national emblems. However, the political speeches were vastly different.
González Urrutia, who wore a jersey of the Venezuelan National Soccer Team, said that now begins “the path of change to recover Venezuela”. The opposition candidate, who often appears alongside right-wing coup supporter María Corina Machado to project an image of support from the most right-wing groups in the country, promised to improve salaries and the national economy. He has also focused his political rhetoric on the concept of “freedom”.
On the other hand, the Maduro campaign, called “Our Venezuela of the XXI Century”, focused on highlighting the historical figure of Hugo Chávez, the social achievements, and the continuity of the Bolivarian process that has been leading the country since 1999. “I extend my hands to everyone; we have gone through hard and heroic times and we have overcome one by one the challenges. In the face of every [foreign] sanction, [we propose] a solution; in the face of every aggression, more Revolution,” Maduro said.
Over the past several months, Maduro has been traveling to states across the country and holding massive rallies to drum up support for the Bolivarian government and engage directly with the people. This strategy has often been used by PSUV campaigns in the past, especially as a way to bypass the anti-Chavista right-wing owned media in the country and internationally which has been focused on attacking Maduro. The key message projected by this media is that a González Urrutia victory would be a clean election, meanwhile Maduro could only be re-elected through electoral fraud. Such narratives may provoke a serious internal and external crisis after the elections.
On June 20, an agreement was signed by the majority of the presidential candidates who promised to respect the democratic decision, including Maduro. However, the González Urrutia campaign refused to sign the agreement and maintains that if they are defeated it would only be through fraud. While the European Union will no longer be observing the electoral process, internationally renowned organizations such as the Carter Center will be on the ground on July 28, along with hundreds of international delegates to partake in electoral observation.
