ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 25, 2023 / 09:30 am
Ulises Gutiérrez, the archbishop of Ciudad Bolívar and second vice president of the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference, said the opposition primary elections in Venezuela on Sunday “were an opportunity to show the world” that in the country “there is a united people that wants change.”
The political leaders of various parties opposing the regime of President Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela ran in the primary elections held Sunday to determine the unity candidate for the 2024 presidential elections to face Maduro if he chooses to seek another term.
The winner — by an overwhelming majority — was María Corina Machado, 56, a national coordinator of the Vente Venezuela party, which is on the center-right of the political spectrum.
However, Reuters reported in an Oct. 22 explainer on the election results that Machado is barred from public office for her support of sanctions against the Maduro government. The U.S. has pledged to put back in place sanctions it has eased if the Maduro government does not lift the ban preventing some opposition leaders from holding office, Reuters explained.