Last year he had already brought forward the start of Christmas festivities to November 1, and had already “launched” Christmas in October 2019 and 2020.
A desire to calm tensions in a country in crisis? Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whose re-election is contested by the opposition which claims victory, brought forward the launch date of Christmas festivities to October 1 on Monday, September 2.
“In tribute to you, in gratitude to you, I will decree an early Christmas on October 1st,” meaning three months of festivities, he declared during his television show.
Earlier, he said he was celebrating the “peace” that had come to the country after the “criminal attacks” on his government. “Christmas begins on October 1 for everyone. Christmas has come with peace, happiness and security,” he said.
The festivities are frequently brought forward
Nicolas Maduro is no stranger to this; last year he had already brought forward the start of Christmas festivities to November 1, and had already “launched” Christmas in October 2019 and 2020.
This year, he announced the advancement of the date for the start of the festivities (including decorations) while the country is still immersed in a post-election crisis.
The socialist president, whose victory was validated by the Supreme Court on August 22, was declared the winner with 52% of the vote by the National Electoral Council (CNE), which did not make public the minutes of the polling stations, saying it was the victim of computer hacking.
The opposition denounces
Such an attack is considered implausible by the opposition and many observers, who see it as a maneuver by the government to avoid disclosing the exact count.
According to the opposition, which published the minutes provided by its scrutineers, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia obtained more than 60% of the votes. On Monday, the justice system issued an arrest warrant against him in the context of investigations for “disobedience to the laws”, “conspiracy”, “usurpation of functions” and “sabotage”.
A large part of the international community, led by the United States, does not recognize the re-election of Nicolas Maduro, who has led the country since 2013.
