By Brendan Oliver Bergh
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

CARACAS, Venezuela – Despite losing last year to Hugo Chavez in the Presidential election, Henrique Capriles is rising to call again as he faces hand-picked and acting interim president Nicolas Maduro in the special election for Venezuela’s Presidency.

While Venezuela gathers its base after the death of their President, Hugo Chavez, the country has been taking a hard pressed stance against the United States and their Western allies. After subtle accusations blaming the U.S. for assassinating Chavez – with an injection to give him cancer – interim president Maduro and the remaining cabinet have halted all official channels of communications between the countries. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua states that “until there is a clear message on what type of relationship the United States wants with Venezuela, it makes no sense to continue wasting time.

While U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson called for open, fair and transparent elections in Venezuela there may be indications that the quick turnaround is hardly fair. The campaign of Henrique Capriles has accused the government of abuse of power and constitutional fraud in inaugurating Maduro as president. Capriles denounced the supreme court which allowed Maduro to become President and then run again in the special election. He has stated that “What the supreme court did I’ve qualified as an electoral fraud,” and insisted that the 60 day election opening, from the time of Chavez’s death to the April 14 election is likely to lead to a favored bias towards Maduro.  They have accused Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) as “no more than a tool of the regime to maintain its power.” This of course a massive description from the regimes coalition calling it “an excellent example of democratic institutions in the country.”

In order to adhere to fair elections the CNE has signed an agreement with the Union of South American Nations, in which they would send electoral teams in order to “witness the electoral process “ and hopefully ensure fair elections. Several Venezuelan electoral NGO’s have been invited to augment and observe the upcoming election.

Mr. Capriles has stated that “I feel that this fight… has become a spiritual struggle of a divine character, because those who live in Venezuela feel that this has become a struggle to break down a wall of evil.”

Despite allegations of electoral misgivings, polls have Mr. Capriles at 22%.

For further information, please see:

Telegraph – Capriles Says Venezuela Election Is A War Of  ‘Good And Evil’ – 25 March 2013

Venezuela Analysis – Maduro Counters Campaign To Discredit Venezuelan Electoral System – 25 March 2013

Press TV – Venezuela Suspends Communications With US Top Diplomat Ahead OF Election – 20 March 2013

Huffington Post – Venezuela Election Candidate Nicolas Maduro Has Upperhand As Chavez’s ‘Heredero’ – 14 March 2013

Guardian – Venezuelan Opposition Challenges Nicolas Maduro’s Legitimacy – 8 March 2013