Lula and Petro Float a Venezuela Election Re-Run

Lula and Petro Float a Venezuela Election Re-Run
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro give a press conference at the Planalto Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil, May 29, 2023 (photo for NurPhoto by Ton Molina via AP Images).

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Colombian President Gustavo Petro each proposed yesterday that Venezuela hold a new presidential election with improved conditions. The two leaders have been leading the international charge to push Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who fraudulently claimed victory in last month’s election, to negotiate a way out of the crisis. (Financial Times)

Our Take

Since its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, won the presidential election on July 28, Venezuela’s opposition has been pushing for the Maduro regime to negotiate a democratic transition of power. Their strategy relies on domestic pressure, in the form of mass protests, and international pressure forcing Maduro to engage in talks.

The big obstacle, though, is that Maduro doesn’t seem like he’s being forced to do anything. He has the ability to repress protests—he’s shown as much in recent weeks—and has authoritarian allies that he can use to skirt international pressure.

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