Rio de Janeiro, Dec 6, (dpa/GNA) – Former Venezuelan foreign minister, Jorge Arreaza, is to stand in a court-ordered re-run of elections in Barinas state next month, President Nicholas Maduro said on Twitter Sunday.
A Venezuelan court had on Saturday demanded a re-run of the poll in Barinas.
Barinas, the birthplace of late former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, is a state where the opposition won in regional elections last month.
Initial results after the November 21 regional elections showed a slim victory for Freddy Superlano of the opposition MUD coalition, beating Argenis Chavez, the brother of the late Venezuelan leader.
But the country’s top court ordered new elections in the state, arguing that Superlano had not been allowed to compete. The new elections will be on January 9. MUD has said that Aurora Silva, Superlano’s wife, would run as its new candidate.
Venezuelan elections are now widely seen to be arranged to support Maduro’s ruling party, leaving little option for opposition wins.
According to the European Union, the regional elections were held under better conditions than previous elections in the South American country.
Nevertheless, the EU’s election observation mission found “structural deficiencies.”
Venezuela is in a deep political and economic crisis.
Opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president in early 2019 and has since tried to force Maduro, who is supported by the powerful military, out of office.
Maduro’s authoritarian government and the opposition have made some progress in talks in Mexico, but these have since been interrupted.
Government opponents who had boycotted all elections since 2017 agreed to participate in the regional elections following the hiatus in the talks.
GNA