“Economy” is the most important issue in Venezuela’s elections

Mehr News, International Group- Azar Mahdavan: “Peace will win”; This is the phrase that “Nicolas Maduro” the president of Venezuela recently expressed regarding the election process of this country. Tomorrow, Sunday (July 28), Venezuelans will go to the polls after six years to choose their next president. The elections that some western countries and the media affiliated with these governments intend to show as ceremonial and far from the principles of democracy.

But as we get closer to the elections in Venezuela, the question that comes to mind is whether Maduro, as the person who has been in power since 2013, will can he become the president of Venezuela again in the shadow of the economic recession? And with the victory of the opposition, will this country’s foreign policy change against America or anti-arrogance countries? mehr reporter, regarding the Venezuelan elections, a conversation with Younes Soner, politician, analyst The problems of Venezuela and the former vice president of Turkey’s Watan party, who is currently stationed in this country, have done so, which will be discussed in detail in the continuation of this conversation:

* Considering that you are currently in Venezuela, I ask this question specifically. Let me ask you: How is the election atmosphere in Venezuela, is the passion for elections felt in this country?

Nicolas Maduro and opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez are leading in the election process. Both candidates hold at least one election meeting every day in different regions of the country. In fact, Maria Machado was supposed to be a presidential candidate as the face of the opposition, but the legal ban against her paved the way for Gonzalez’s candidacy. We see a large attendance of people in the election meetings. The candidates also took advantage of the opportunity and made sharp criticisms against each other. In the city of Caracas, we see the activity of centers that teach people how to vote. There are almost a thousand such educational centers, which are mostly located in squares and parks. The pictures of the candidates can be seen everywhere in the city. There is no tense atmosphere in the election process, but these days the number one issue of the Venezuelan people is the election result.

An important issue is the recognition of the election result by the various parties of this country. In addition, two of the candidates did not sign the procedure letter of the Supreme Election Organization of Venezuela. Therefore, it is expected to witness a tense atmosphere after the election and the announcement of the vote counting results. This tension is also felt in the way the candidates speak. It is also necessary to remember that in the past, the opposition took violent actions after losing the elections, for example, burning some people alive! In addition, Maria Machado, who is also one of the prominent political figures of the opposition, said in an interview in the past that if we win the elections, we will bring American soldiers here and clean up these Chávez (supporters of the politics of the former president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez). That’s why Nicolás Maduro said in another interview: “If the opposition wins, the country will be destroyed.” These statements are worrisome, but despite all these circumstances, the election atmosphere is going slowly.

*The current president of Venezuela has a positive view of anti-arrogant countries, including Iran. In general, with the change of the president of this country, will the government’s political approach also undergo changes?

Definitely and one hundred percent it will change. For example, the opposition believes that the agreements they had with countries like Iran, China and Russia in the field of oil industry should be reviewed. That Edmundo Gonzalez will be on the way to America after his victory is not hidden or strange for anyone. The opposition does not deny this either. They even clearly say that they will remove American sanctions, start selling oil and enter into a strategic alliance with America. On the other hand, Maduro’s election manifesto emphasizes the continuation of the – current – foreign policy that he has pursued before. This issue is expressed in the way that Venezuela is a leader in a multipolar world in terms of foreign policy. The officials of the current government emphasize the policy of supporting Palestine, membership in BRICS and the multipolar world. There is also an interesting point that the opposition think tank is affiliated with the Venezuela Affairs think tank in the US, which is funded by the US Congress. One of the experts of this think tank is a person named Mark Feierstein, who is originally Jewish. Especially when you check his Twitter address, you see that he uses Zionist symbols and is close to the Jewish lobby. With the victory of the opposition, it is possible that the constitution and projects belonging to the Union of South American States will be stopped. Therefore, with the victory of the opposition, we will witness deep changes in the foreign policy of this country.

*Which candidate has a better chance of winning this election in the current situation? Why?

There is currently a race between two candidates, Maduro and Edmundo Gonzalez, the US-backed candidate. Maduro’s advantage is that he is supported by the United Socialist Party, he has a very strong party and is popular with the public. They have very strong local organizations, grassroots organizations, associations, non-governmental movements and unions to mobilize voters on election day. The second advantage is undoubtedly that the military and government bureaucracy are on Maduro’s side. Therefore, it is very difficult for the opposition to attempt a coup in the country. But the most important difficulty for Maduro is the economic conditions of this country. Venezuela’s economy suffered a crisis due to US sanctions, especially in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

This crisis also caused the migration of some citizens. But now the economy of this country is going through this crisis. Venezuela’s economy is now completely dollarized and you can easily buy everywhere with US dollars. This has brought inflation under control and 8% growth is estimated for the Venezuelan economy. There is no problem in terms of availability of consumer goods. But civil servants are still underpaid. The salary is 3 dollars and with bonuses and other benefits it reaches 150 dollars per month. It is very hard to make a living in the city. Therefore, Maduro’s biggest challenge is the economy, which, although the economic situation is improving, is not yet fully reflected in the well-being of the people. On the other hand, corruption is also criticized. These are also fought against.

These challenges are derived from American sanctions. In contrast, Edmundo Gonzalez is a very different figure. He is an elderly person and entered the election as a reserve candidate of the opposition. As I said, Mrs. Maria was supposed to be a candidate for this marathon, but she could not qualify due to a legal ban. This is a big weakness for the opposition. Of course, we are talking about a government that has been in power for 25 years. Therefore, there are groups that say change must be made. The middle and upper classes strongly support the opposition. They want to improve relations with America and to bring capital into the country. Another disadvantage of the opposition is that next to this leading candidate, there is one more opposing candidate. Some of them recognize the decisions of the Supreme Election Council. While some have even proposed forming a joint transitional government with Maduro, Edmundo Gonzalez is a hard-line candidate who has vowed to oust Maduro. The presence of other candidates, even if they are not the leading candidates like these two candidates, can still reduce the votes of Edmundo Gonzalez. Because these are moderate opponents. Even if they are dissatisfied with the government, this group can be an option for those who do not want to overthrow the government. Needless to say, the election will be held electronically and after the voting is over, the counting of votes will begin automatically, and the final result will probably be announced at the end of the night by the Supreme Election Authority.