Venezuelan unions demand electoral council ouster, election schedule

A coalition of Venezuelan trade unionists has publicly called for the dismissal or resignation of the country's electoral council rectors, who they accuse of being aligned with the ruling Chavista party. The demonstrators also demand the establishment of a concrete timeline for presidential elections, as the mandate of the interim government, currently headed by Delcy Rodríguez, is set to expire soon. Chanting "Elections now!" outside the National Electoral Council (CNE) in Caracas, the protesters voiced their frustration. Estela Romero, a member of the National Union Coalition, stated, "We want the CNE, as the governing body of electoral power, to definitively pronounce itself with an electoral timeline, and if it does not fulfill its functions, then we will demand the definitive resignation of the entire body of rectors." Romero criticized the lack of electoral calls five months after the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro, emphasizing that the interim government's term concludes on July 3. The unionists are invoking Article 234 of the Constitution, which stipulates that temporary or absolute presidential absences are to be filled by the executive vice president for up to 90 days, extendable for another 90 days by Parliament. Rodríguez, who served as Maduro's vice president, assumed the interim presidency following an order from the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ). The TSJ bypassed the establishment of electoral deadlines, leaving the legal qualification of Maduro's absence to "other state bodies." The opposition-controlled Parliament has not commented, having only sworn in Rodríguez as interim leader on January 5, two days after a military operation led by Donald Trump resulted in Maduro's capture. Alexander Rodríguez, a student at the Bolivarian University, echoed the sentiment, demanding "the dismissal of all these criminal rectors who have mocked the needs of the Venezuelan people." He urged the United States to "take the necessary steps" for "free elections with international observation." The U.S. State Department had previously called for the conditions for elections to be established "as soon as possible."

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We want the CNE, as the governing body of electoral power, to definitively pronounce itself with an electoral timeline, and if it does not fulfill its functions, then we will demand the definitive resignation of the entire body of rectors.