Saudi Ministry of Education to showcase innovations at 2025 Geneva International Exhibition    7,523 violators of residency, labor, and border security laws deported in a week    Video contradicts Israeli army account of deadly March 23 strike on Gaza paramedics    Saudi Arabia spends over $241 million to implement de-mining projects in 3 countries    Italy's Meloni government approves controversial security decree expanding police protections and penalties    Egypt submits new Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange proposal: Report    'Everything is possible' — Ronaldo focused on titles, not 1,000-goal milestone after Riyadh Derby win    Saudi, US military leaders discuss enhanced defense cooperation in Riyadh    King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language launches program with Indiana University    Ronaldo brace powers Al Nassr past Al Hilal in Riyadh derby thriller    Ed Sheeran weaves Persian music into new song, Azizam    Al-Jadaan: Crown Prince's directives confirm government's ability to bring back balance to real estate market    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Foreign investors are allowed to engage in real estate business outside Makkah and Madinah Commercial speculation should not be the purpose of real estate transaction    Aubameyang fires Al Qadsiah into King's Cup final with stoppage-time winner over Al Raed    Musk's X is suing India, as Tesla and Starlink plan entry    Tesla sales plunge after backlash against Elon Musk    Danilo Pereira fires Al Ittihad into King's Cup final with dramatic stoppage-time double    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Venezuela opposition holds primary to pick unity candidate
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 22 - 10 - 2023

Venezuela's opposition is holding a primary to choose a candidate for the 2024 presidential election.
Opposition parties have organized the poll without any help from the National Electoral Council, which is headed by a close ally of President Nicolás Maduro.
Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, is widely expected to run for another term in the 2024 election.
The opposition thinks its best chance of defeating him is to unite behind a single candidate.
Opposition parties have boycotted past presidential elections because many of its candidates were either in jail or had been barred from running. But they are planning to take part in 2024 even though they say the odds are stacked against them.
They mooted their plan to hold a primary as early as May 2022 and formally announced it in October 2022.
But their request for help from the National Electoral Council (CNE) to organize the primary went unanswered until September 2023, at which point the CNE — a body dominated by government loyalists — suggested delaying the primary to November.
The opposition declined and instead organized the primary itself. It says it will have more than 3,000 polling stations at which voters can cast ballots.
The field of 13 candidates has narrowed down to 10 after Henrique Capriles, who has run for president unsuccessfully twice in the past, Freddy Superlano of the Popular Will party, and Roberto Enríquez of the Copei party, dropped out of the race in recent weeks.
Polls suggest that the front-runner by a huge margin is 56-year-old former lawmaker María Corina Machado.
And while a win in the primary looks very likely for Machado, what will happen if she is chosen is anything but clear-cut.
This is due to the fact that Machado has been barred from holding office for 15 years. The ban was slapped on her in June by the comptroller-general at the time, Maduro-ally Elvis Amoroso, who now heads the CNE.
Machado has said that she is confident that if she wins the primary, the pressure on the government will be such that she will be reinstated.
A deal between opposition negotiators and government representatives signed on Tuesday in Barbados was ambiguous on the matter, with the opposition negotiator saying it opened the door for barred candidates to run and the leader of the government delegation contradicting him.
The United States eased some of its sanctions against Venezuela's oil and gas sector in response to the deal, which contains an agreement by the Venezuelan government to invite international observers to monitor the 2024 presidential poll.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed the agreement but warned that US sanctions could be reapplied if the Maduro government did not begin to lift bans imposed on opposition presidential candidates by the end of November. — BBC


Clic here to read the story from its source.