Venezuelan opposition coalition able to register provisional candidate

Venezuela’s main opposition coalition said Tuesday afternoon that the country’s government allowed them to register a provisional candidate for the upcoming presidential election, amid a wave of criticisms after opposition leaders said they were blocked from registering their candidate of choice the night before.
The coalition, the Unitary Democratic Platform, said they temporarily enlisted former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as their candidate as a way to “preserve the exercise of the political rights that correspond to our political organization” until they are able to register another candidate. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the coalition said it was not allowed to access the registration system, but was later granted an extension.
It is the latest in a chaotic electoral process surrounding Venezuela’s July 28 election as the government of President Nicolas Maduro has cracked down on the opposition despite promises to pave the way to democratic elections in exchange for sanctions relief.