“This is the third (minimum wage) hike this year”, Maduro said during a televised broadcast.
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But the president of the CNE said that 98 percent of almost 408,000 signatures gathered by the opposition Democratic Unity (MUD) coalition – twice the minimum requirement of one percent, or 200,000 – were validated.
The difference between having a recall election in 2016 and 2017 is that, if Maduro is ousted next year, his fellow socialist vice-president would take over as president rather than an opposition leader.
Timing is important. If Maduro loses a referendum this year it would trigger a presidential election that the opposition would likely win.
The opposition has been pressing for a recall this year, but the National Electoral Council has slow-rolled a complex petition process that involves gathering and validating millions of signatures before the elections can go ahead.
If all the requisites established by the regulations are fulfilled, the collection of signatures, with all their technical, security, operational and logistical aspects. probably collecting the signatures of 20 percent of registered voters will take place around the end of October, Lucena told reporters. “Believing that all Venezuelans are fools!” tweeted Henrique Capriles, former presidential candidate and opposition leader who has led the recall referendum effort.
The El Nacional newspaper estimates the referendum could be held between next January and March. After that, she said, the CNE would have up to three months to hold the referendum. Opposition leader Henrique Capriles renewed calls for supporters to march to Caracas from across the country on September 1 and said the there was no legal or technical reason not to hold the referendum this year.
Based on previous experiences, the process to hold a recall referendum is estimated to take several months from beginning to end, although there is no specific time frame due to the requirements and verifications needed prior to a vote.
Electoral affairs specialist Eugenio Martinez said the referendum may not happen until February “if the CNE makes an effort to impose unnecessary delays”.
“The elections officials know that closing the tiny window of democratic change that we still have puts the country in a very risky place”, Capriles said at a news conference.
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The head of the opposition coalition, Jesus Torrealba, warned on Wednesday the country’s economic and political crisis was “powder keg” waiting to explode.
