Venezeulan Government to Bar Political Parties That Do Not Recognize Maduro Victory

The President of Venezuela's National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, announced on Thursday that organizations that do not recognize the Supreme Court of Justice's (TSJ) ruling validating President Nicolas Maduro's victory in this year's presidential election will be barred from participating in future elections within the country. This move follows widespread claims of electoral interference by Maduro's regime levied by the opposition..Efforts to Stamp Out Detractors.Rodríguez stated that this policy would be cemented through a reform of the Law of Political Parties, a law originally put into effect in 1965 which regulates public meetings, protests, and demonstrations connected to political parties and provides the government with various abilities to counter parties that promote violence, racial or religious hatred, or actions against the constitutional order. Furthermore, the National Assembly called upon Venezuela's judicial system to investigate those thought to be guilty of usurpation and incitement to hatred conducted by the country's "extreme right," a common designation used by Maduro's regime to refer to the opposition alliance known as the Unitary Platform led by former presidential candidate Maria Corina Machado and the alliance which the opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia ran under..The proposed amendment to the Law of Political Parties showcases Maduro's continued efforts to completely stamp out the opposition from political discourse following the president's controversial win announced on July 29. Amid this move, Venezuelan authorities have launched a brutal campaign of political repression against opposition figures, demonstrators, and any who oppose Maduro's continued rule. This crackdown has resulted in the arrest of at least 2,200 people, according to Venezuela's Attorney General; non-government sources provide a slightly different number, putting the total arrested at 1,416 people as of August 17, according to Foro Penal, a human rights non-governmental organization, including nearly 200 women and 17 people with disabilities. Over 100 of those arrested include children, according to the United Nations' mission to Venezuela, and are reportedly held without parental supervision during their criminal proceedings, according to the, a violation of International Law under Article 40 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child..Maduro's efforts to silence the growing voices of the opposition is not limited to just Venezuelans however, as the president has expelled diplomatic staff from several countries following their own nation questioning the results of the election. Among these nations are Chile, Peru, and Argentina who all denounced Maduro's disputed victory shortly after it was announced. Argentina's own expulsion led to a tense diplomatic crisis as the Argentine embassy holds six Venezuelan asylees who fled to the nation's diplomatic premises following the issuance of arrest warrants against the group. After their arrival, Venezuelan authorities began a siege on the embassy, cutting off power leading to further strained relations between the two nations..Ultimately, Brazil took agreed to take control of the embassies of the expelled nations, safeguarding the six residing in Argentina's diplomatic premises and acting as representatives for citizens of the expelled nations in their absence..Demonstrations and concern regarding Venezuela's presidential election largely stem from Venezuela's National Electoral Council's (CNE) refusal to publish detailed voting records surrounding the election. This refusal paired with an exit poll conducted by Edison Research, an American market research and polling company that has conducted exit polls internationally, which predicted González to win with 65 percent of the vote and ultimately acted as the catalyst for new anti-government demonstrations in the wake of Maduro's supposed victory..Tensions have risen further following the opposition's own publication of gathered voting records from 80 percent of all polling stations across the country. These published records act as evidence to González's claim of victory in the presidential election, putting the opposition's candidate at 67 percent of the vote according to the opposition..In response to the publication of tally sheets by the opposition, Maduro's regime has vehemently denied their authenticity, straining the relationship between Maduro and possible allies in Latin America such as Colombia whose Congress previously stated does not recognize Maduro's victory. While the failure to publicize has alienated Venezuela from possible allies, it has further emboldened those opposed to Maduro's rule, including the United States and Argentina, who both endorsed González as Venezuela's rightful president following the announced results..In Maduro's fight against the opposition, the Attorney General of Venezuela, William Tarek Saab, announced two investigations into Machado, the first for an alleged cyberattack that targeted the CNE and sought to switch votes to González, and the second for a joint statement between Machado and González which called on police and lower enlisted in Venezuela's military to resist Maduro and align themselves with the opposition. Following the issuance of the first investigation, Machado announced that she had gone into hiding in an article published by the Wall Street Journal highlighting fears over the freedom of figures opposed to Maduro's continued rule..Repression, Economic Downturn Will Only Intensify.The proposed change to the Law of Political Parties will act as another tool for Maduro's regime to crush any political opposition, forcing members of the opposition to either break with the Unitary Platform and accept the president's victory or be barred from running for office for an unknown amount of time. The opposition will likely continue their fight against Maduro, as accepting defeat will only further solidify the president's power and allow allies to be snuffed out through reprisals launched by the state..As the election remains contested with neither side seeming to be ready to relinquish their claims, Venezuela has entered into another era of brutal repression of those opposed to Maduro's regime. This repression, alongside the country's likely continued economic decline, will likely worsen the already severe migratory crisis that is unfolding within the nation, with one-third of polled Venezuelans telling ORC Consultores, a Venezuelan polling and consulting firm, in June that they would leave Venezuela if Maduro secured another term in office.