The Latin American Report # 278

Venezuela

Elections in the Bolivarian nation next Sunday continue to be at the center of the political agenda in the region. Uncertainty about the drift of the process, characterized by division and festering positions, with each party claiming to have enough votes to win overwhelmingly, prevails in the atmosphere. The mainstream media has already declared the opposition as the virtual winner, with such a difference of muscle with respect to Chavismo that it would be too flagrant for Maduro to be proclaimed the winner. How much truth is there in these analyses and how much manipulation? I don't trust any narrative by either party.

One expert told CNN en Español that Maduro can still win an election without fraud, and that the electoral system is auditable to such an extent that it would make that practice difficult. In an interesting interview with the Spanish newspaper El País, the only son of the Venezuelan president pledged that in case of defeat, they would hand over power to the opposition. By the way, he did not rule out one day running for the presidency.

However, the specter of fraud is the order of the day. Chile's Gabriel Boric supported Lula's harsh—though perhaps hasty—rebuke to Maduro, demanding the holding of “transparent, competitive and subject to international observation” elections. The South American left, perhaps with the exception of Arce in Bolivia, has been hostile to the Miraflores Palace, with the head of La Moneda as the most reactive. Lula gave Maduro an important lift last year by pulling him out of diplomatic isolation, but then there have been more stumbles than coincidences.

_{Boric and Lula have been tough with Maduro. This a different context for the "left" (source).}

The Venezuelan leader criticized the Brazilian electoral system—temporarily spreading the thesis of none other than Jair Bolsonaro—and so the Supreme Electoral Court of the South American giant will not send observers to Sunday's electoral "party". The former Argentinean President Alberto Fernandez will not attend as a guest either after statements that did not sit well in Caracas, very similar to those from Lula that deepened the bad moment between old political allies.

In a video recorded in his office and released on Thursday, Maduro asked for “a vote of confidence” and presented his “program of the future”, a sort of road map for his potential new mandate. “To those who have always followed us, I thank you for the victorious strength of all the years[.] [To] those who are still deciding, I ask for your trust, your vote of confidence”, expressed the political heir of Hugo Chavez. On his part, Edmundo Gonzalez pledged not to persecute anyone in case he wins the Presidency. “Do not let the message of hate that [Maduro uses] frighten you”, he said. The electoral campaign closed today with two events organized by the main contending alliances.

Your quick regional roundup

• Paraguayan authorities seized a shipment of some 14 tons of tomatoes a few kilometers from the capital Asuncion, smuggled in from Brazil. “We had a successful procedure [with 14 thousand] kilos of tomatoes seized of Brazilian origin[;] it is a very interesting coup,” said the head of operations of the Anti-smuggling Directorate of the National Office of Tax Revenue there. Authorities from both countries have strengthened their ties after Santiago Peña came to power, seeking to hit smuggling networks and other criminal activities along their shared border.
  

• Aztec authorities on Thursday found some 40 Central American migrants from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, who were crammed together in the northern city of Monterrey. Municipal and state police were alerted of an alleged kidnapping in the municipality of Escobedo, where they found 30 men and 11 women “tired, hungry, and in a state of dehydration”, who were immediately assisted with medication, liquids, and food. There is talk of a “rescue” but there does not appear to have been any confrontation, or at least no arrests have been reported, as is usual in these events suffered by migrants in Mexico on their dangerous route to the southwest border of the United States.
  

_{A rescued migrant entering a government car (source).}

And this is all for our report today. I have referenced the sources dynamically in the text, and remember you can learn how and where to follow the LATAM trail news by reading my work here. Have a nice day.