CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – Electoral authorities on Monday certified that opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had gathered enough signatures to permit them to conduct a second petition drive aimed at removing the socialist leader from office.
Officials said the opposition coalition successfully collected signatures from at least 1 percent of voters in each state – a requirement for pursuing a petition drive calling for a recall election.
The opposition now faces a much tougher challenge: It will need to gather signatures from 20 percent of Venezuela’s registered voters, or 4 million people, to force a recall election. And it will have just three days to get the signature drive done.
With Venezuela’s economic troubles worsening, with triple-digit inflation and widespread shortages of good and other goods, opinion polls say a large majority of voters want Maduro gone.
If Maduro’s opponents should succeed in defeating him in a recall vote this year, Venezuela would hold an election for a new president. If it happened in 2017, Maduro would be replaced by his vice president.