Venezuela
Request for referendum on removal against Maduro “inadmissible”
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at a ceremony at the Supreme Court. Photo: Matias Delacroix/AP/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Venezuela’s constitution allows citizens to recall government employees halfway through their term in office. But the attempt to oust President Maduro is now failing before the supreme electoral authority, the CNE.
Venezuela’s top electoral authority, the CNE, has declared a process initiated by parts of the opposition for a referendum to remove President Nicolás Maduro to be “inadmissible”.
This was announced by Rector Tania D’Amelio in a CNE statement. In none of the states were the necessary signatures collected from 20 percent of the voters, but only one percent, said D’Amelio. A total of only 42,421 signatures came together. 4.2 million signatures would have been necessary.
country in crisis
Representatives of the opposition had described the process as impossible under the conditions and even advised against participation in some cases. On January 17, the Supreme Electoral Council set a deadline of twelve hours this Wednesday to collect the 4.2 million signatures at 1,200 locations in the country.
The Venezuelan constitution provides that citizens can recall a civil servant halfway through their term in office. The CNE said there was no room for another call for a referendum to remove the incumbent.
Venezuela is in a deep crisis. Opposition leader Juan Guaidó declared himself interim president at the beginning of 2019 and has been trying to force the authoritarian Maduro out of office ever since. Maduro is backed by the powerful military.