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A12 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 5 February 2020

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro stands inside the Su-
preme Court in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 31, 2020. Mad-
uro is at the court to give his annual presidential address.
Associated Press
Venezuela blocks

Supporters of presidential candidate Carlos Mesa rally outside the Supreme Electoral Tribunal entry of human
after he was registered as a candida in La Paz, Bolivia, Monday, Feb. 3, 2020.
Associated Press
Ex-leader's party faces rights investigators

divided challengers in Bolivia CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) of American States, the
— An international human Washington-based
body
rights
commission
criti-
representing more than
cized the government of 30 nations in the Western
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — The divided following the often- ished second in the Octo- President Nicolás Maduro Hemisphere, whose lead-
party of ousted President violent tumult that erupted ber vote, though many of on Tuesday for blocking ers have been among the
Evo Morales faced a frac- before and after Morales his former supporters have its members from board- fiercest critics of Maduro.
tured opposition as Bolivia was pushed to resign. Jean shifted to more conserva- ing a plane for Venezuela, Maduro's Foreign Minister
began campaigns Tues- Arnault, envoy of the U.N. tive candidates. where they planned to in- Jorge Arreaza tweeted
day for May 3 elections to secretary-general, warned Those include interim Presi- vestigate alleged abuses. Friday that they would be
replace the leftist leader, against "exacerbated po- dent Jeanine Áñez, whose Paulo Abrão, executive blocked. "Venezuela has
but early polls indicate it larization" and called on all government has worked to secretary of the Inter- not invited or accepted a
may not have enough sup- sides to work for an elec- overturn many of Morales' American Commission on delegation visit from the
port to win outright and tion "without abuses, intimi- policies and prosecute his Human Rights, said the del- IACHR," Arreaza said, add-
avoid a runoff. dation or discrimination." allies, as well as regional egation will press ahead ing that the visit "is not au-
Eight parties registered Morales's Movement To- civic leader Luis Fernando with its work, instead meet- thorized." Maduro's gov-
for the upcoming special ward Socialism party, Camacho, a major leader ing victims and civil rights ernment in 2017 started a
general election by the which currently holds a ma- of protests in the eastern groups on the Colombian two-year process to leave
midnight Monday dead- jority in congress, is stron- economic center of Santa border with Venezuela. the OAS, saying that it is a
line, most of them hoping gest among indigenous, Cruz. "This attitude demonstrates pawn of the United States,
to capitalize on the pro- rural and working class ur- Both have appealed to a the government's fear of which is also a member.
test movement that forced ban regions. But in an ap- growing conservative reli- exposing itself to interna- The OAS itself has joined
the nation's first indigenous parent move to broaden gious bloc of votes, as has tional scrutiny and an at- the U.S. and more than 50
president to resign in No- its appeal, it nominated a Korean-born evangelical tempt to hide abuses," other nations in withdraw-
vember. That followed London-educated techno- pastor and physician Chi Abrão told The Associated ing recognition of Maduro
massive demonstrations crat, Luis Arce, as its presi- Hyung Chung, who is run- Press by telephone from on grounds his reelection
over alleged vote-rigging dential candidate. ning again after receiv- Panama City. The rejec- in 2018 was illegitimate. It
in last year's balloting. "Morales is reaching out ing about 9 percent of the tion had been expected recognized congressional
The Electoral Tribunal still to the middle class from vote in October. in large part because the leader Juan Guaidó as
must certify whether the which he had grown Áñez had been a second- commission had been in- acting president.
candidates meet require- apart," said analyst Carlos tier political figure as a sen- vited by the country's con- Maduro, however, con-
ments — with the big ques- Borth, a former congress- ator before the resignation gress. The legislature and trols all the mechanisms of
tion being whether Mo- man. "That explains having of several Morales allies Maduro mutually consider government, including the
rales. barred by law from picked Arce and not an in- who outranked her put her one another illegitimate. military and courts, and he
seeking the presidency, will digenous person." in line to claim the presi- The three members of the recognizes an alternative
be allowed to run for Sen- The middle classes and dency. group posted a picture on version of the National As-
ate. conservative sectors A mid-January poll by the Twitter holding their board- sembly led by a minority of
Candidates are supposed played a central role in the Mercados y Encuestas con- ing passes at the airport lawmakers allied with him.
to be residents of Bolivia, protests that led police and sulting firm showed Arce gate in Panama. They said The delegation had
but Morales is living in ex- military leaders to urge Mo- supported by 26%, Mesa Maduro's government told planned to make a five-
ile in Argentina and facing rales to resign after 14 years and Camacho with 17% the Panama-based Copa day visit inside Venezuela.
charges connected to last in power, during which he and Áñez with 12%. The poll, Airlines not to allow them Abrão said that instead,
October's allegedly fraud- was accused of increasing- which reported a margin of on the flight to Caracas. the investigators will talk
ulent election, which he ly authoritarian behavior. error of about 3.5 percent- Venezuela's opposition-led with anyone who wants
claimed had reelected him The other contenders in- age points, was carried out National Assembly had in- to meet them in the Co-
to a fourth term in office. clude centrist former Presi- before Áñez confirmed she vited the group, which is a lombian border town of
The country remains bitterly dent Carlos Mesa, who fin- was running.q branch of the Organization Cucuta.q