A proposal in parliament would also allow the government to suspend the opposition’s campaign at any time. Many Venezuelans living abroad have been unable to register to vote due to expensive and cumbersome requirements.
Maduro, 61, is the political heir to Hugo Chávez’s socialist movement in Venezuela and has consolidated power since taking office in 2013. He functionally controls parliament, the army, the police, the judicial system, elections of the National Council, the country’s budget and much of the media, as well as violent paramilitary gangs called colectivos.
He and his inner circle have also been accused of systematic human rights abuses amounting to crimes against humanity, including murder, torture and sexual violence.
