Venezuela 2024 Elections: Why Nicolás Maduro appears 13 times on the ballot

The Venezuelan 2024 elections have generated considerable attention both nationally and internationally. One of the most talked about aspects is the fact that Nicolás Maduro appears 13 times on the ballot.

Why does Maduro appear so many times on the ballot?

The Venezuelan electoral system allows a candidate to appear on the ballot as many times as there are political parties that support him. This means that if a candidate has the support of multiple political organizations, his name and photo can appear in several boxes on the ballot.

In the case of Nicolás Maduro, his presence in 13 polling stations reflects the support of 13 different political parties.

One of the main reasons why Maduro appears so often on the ballot is the intervention of political parties by the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ). In recent years, the TSJ has intervened in several political organizations, replacing their leadership and aligning them with the Government.

Parties such as Patria Para Todos (PPT), Podemos and the Communist Party have been subjected to legal proceedings and their new leadership has decided to support Maduro.

In addition to the intervention of existing parties, the regime has promoted the creation of new political parties that also support Maduro.These, although recently created, have been approved by the National Electoral Council (CNE) and have the right to appear on the ballot.

Fragmentation of the opposition

The fragmentation of the opposition is another factor contributing to Maduro’s multiple appearances on the ballot. While the president has the consolidated support of 13 parties, the opposition is divided among several candidates and organizations.

For example, Maduro’s main rival, Edmundo González Urrutia, appears in only three boxes, despite having the support of at least 11 parties.

This is because several of these organisations have been intervened or their cards have been given to politicians who are also participating in the race and who are accused by the opposition as collaborators of the Government.

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Maduro’s presence in 13 ballot boxes has several implications for the electoral process. Analysts and experts assessed the following:

• By appearing repeatedly on the ballot, Maduro has a visual advantage over his opponents. Voters who are not well informed or who do not carefully review the ballot may be influenced by the prominence of your image.
• Maduro’s multiple appearances may give the false impression that he has broad political support and that the electoral process is plural and democratic. However, many of the parties that support him have been intervened or recently created by the regime.
• The intervention of political parties and the creation of new political organisations aligned with the regime have generated distrust in the transparency and fairness of the electoral process. The opposition and several international observers have criticised these practices as a way of manipulating the electoral result.