Opposition activists march along Francisco Fajardo highway, during a protest against President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, on May 10, 2017. VWPics/SIPA USA/PA Images. All rights reserved.
In October 2016, Venezuela’s National Electoral Council announced, without any legal justification, the postponement of regional elections. It said that the elections would be held at the end of the first half of 2017, even though the Constitution required them to be held in December 2016. Furthermore, it illegally suspended the process of staging a Presidential Recall Referendum, a right contained in the country’s Constitution, based on rulings from regional courts that do not have jurisdiction on electoral matters.
In the first four months of this year, we have witnessed serious democratic setbacks, namely the unconstitutional decision of the Supreme Court on March 29 to dissolve the opposition-led Congress – a decision that had to be revoked given the strong national and international reaction. We have also watched with extreme concern the death of at least 57 people in the context of the repression of street demonstrations (a figure updated until May 25, 2017).
