No opposition for Maduro in Venezuela

caracas - Venezuela goes to the polls Sunday to choose a new president. The fact that the head of state, Nicolas Maduro, will take office in 2013, seems almost certain.

Important political opponents of the left-wing president are in prison or are not allowed to exercise a political office. This last fate struck Henrique Capriles, the challenger of Maduro in the 2013 presidential election. Last year the authorities imposed a 15-year ban on the exercise of a political function on Capriles, partly because he would have instigated violent protests against the government. in the capital Caracas.

In 2013 Capriles was the candidate for the opposition block MUD. That coalition boycotts this time the election because she fears fraud by the Maduro government. Two candidates who do participate can not count on much support from the voters. 56-year-old Henri Falcon was previously a political friend of Maduro. According to the opposition, he only participates in legitimizing a re-election of the current head of state. The 48-year-old evangelical priest Javier Bertucci would also have little chance, because he has hardly any political experience.

The 55-year-old Maduro is the successor to the left populist Hugo Chavez, who died in March 2013. Under the economic mismanagement of Maduro, the South American country has fallen prey to a huge shortage of goods, unemployment, crime and inflation. As a result, a large influx of refugees has started to move to neighboring countries. Especially to Colombia, but also to the Antilles. Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao are only separated from Venezuela by a piece of Caribbean sea.

According to Venezuela, the ABC islands are also an attractive destination for contraband due to their proximity. Venezuela closed the border for several months this year because the islands would not do enough to counter the smuggling of drugs, weapons, money, gold and copper. Minister of Foreign Bloc therefore flew personally to the Venezuelan capital Caracas to help the dispute with Maduro from the world.

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