Brazil and Colombia voice concern as Venezuela bans opposition candidate

A coalition of Latin American nations, including Brazil and Colombia, has expressed deep concern regarding the worsening political situation in Venezuela. This comes after the leading opposition figure poised to challenge President Nicolás Maduro in the upcoming presidential election, Corina Yoris, was barred from registering for the vote.
Corina Yoris, an 80-year-old philosopher who was relatively unknown outside academic circles, was unexpectedly thrust into the forefront of Venezuela’s enduring political turmoil when she was named as the replacement for María Corina Machado, a prominent opposition leader disqualified from participating in the election.
Hopes among opposition members were high that the octogenarian grandmother of seven could offer a fresh and unconventional approach to challenging Maduro, who has maintained power since succeeding Hugo Chávez in 2013. Maduro’s controversial re-election in 2018 drew widespread condemnation from Western nations.
However, on Tuesday, Yoris, representing the Unitary platform coalition, revealed that she had been unable to register her candidacy through the electoral council’s online system before the midnight deadline.
In a statement to reporters, Yoris lamented the violation of the will of the Venezuelan people seeking change in their country.
The thwarting of Yoris’s candidacy prompted a strong reaction from the governments of Brazil and Colombia, both of which have been actively engaged in efforts to encourage Maduro to uphold democratic principles.
Brazil’s foreign ministry issued a statement, expressing concern that the actions taken against the Unitary platform candidate were inconsistent with the Barbados agreement reached between Maduro’s government and the opposition last October. This agreement aimed to ensure the conduct of free and fair elections in Venezuela.