Venezuela Government Attacks Opposition's Presidential Primary, Calls It A 'Scam'

The Venezuelan government on Tuesday slammed Sunday's primary election organized by the opposition, calling it a "scam."

National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez criticized the opposition, saying, "What happened this past Sunday was not an election, it was a farce, it was a scam. Since we knew that they were planning the farce, we put a person in each of the voting centers and we counted one by one, minute by minute, and hour by hour," AP News reported.

Rodriguez went on to explain the primary election was fraudulent because voters were not aware of the electoral registry and location of voting centers. Furthermore, the organizers had reportedly changed the locations of voting centers one day before.

"No one knew if they should vote or where they should do it because Sumate, a company belonging to Maria Corina Machado, organized the electoral farce," he said about the presidential candidate who received over 90% of the votes.

"The 'One Person, One Vote' principle was not guaranteed," Rodriguez said. "The real crime lies in the theft of the identity of over 2 million people. In Venezuela and anywhere in the world, that is a crime because it is a theft of will."

"There is no other way to sustain those numbers. They said that almost 2 million people participated but only 598,350 voted."

Machado received an overwhelming response Monday, following the counting of votes. However, it is not sure if she will be able to stand against President Nicolas Maduro in next year's elections due to legal issues.

Machado, a longtime critic of Maduro's party -- the governing United Socialist Party of Venezuela -- has been a supporter of free-market policies. In June, she was banned from holding public office for 15 years.

Many international bodies, including the European Union, Human Rights Watch and the Organization of American States, have since condemned this move.

Last week, the Venezuelan government and the opposition made a deal to ensure the presidential elections will be conducted in the second half of 2024 and will be internationally monitored. The last primary election was held nearly 10 years ago.

Before Maduro, Hugo Chávez had served as the president of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013.