2024 Venezuelan presidential election

Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in Venezuela on 28 July 2024 to choose a president for a six-year term beginning on 10 January 2025.

Incumbent president Nicolás Maduro is running for a third consecutive term. Edmundo González Urrutia is representing the Unitary Platform, the main opposition political alliance. Other leading candidates of the Venezuelan opposition have been disqualified from participating in the election during their campaign or in previous elections. In June 2023, the leading candidate María Corina Machado was barred from participating by the Venezuelan government for alleged political crimes. This move has been regarded by the opposition as violation of political human rights and has been condemned by international bodies like the Organization of American States, the European Union, and Human Rights Watch, as well as countries such as Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Mexico, Paraguay, the United Kingdom, the United States and Uruguay.

The National Electoral Council (CNE) announced that the election will be held on 28 July (the day that would have been Hugo Chávez's 70th birthday), with filing of candidacies set to run from 21 to 25 March and campaigning to be held from 4 to 25 July.

Direct talks between senior Venezuelan and United States officials that had been stalled since mid-April were restarted in early July, a few weeks prior to the election.

Crisis in Venezuela
Since 2010, Venezuela has been suffering a socioeconomic crisis under Nicolás Maduro and briefly under his predecessor Hugo Chávez as rampant crime, hyperinflation and shortages diminish the quality of life. As a result of discontent with the government, the opposition was elected to hold the majority in the National Assembly for the first time since 1999 following the 2015 parliamentary election. After the election, the lame duck National Assembly—with a pro-government majority—filled the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, the highest court in Venezuela, with Maduro allies. The tribunal stripped three opposition lawmakers of their National Assembly seats in early 2016, citing alleged "irregularities" in their elections, thereby preventing an opposition supermajority which would have been able to challenge President Maduro.

The tribunal approved several actions by Maduro and granted him more powers in 2017. As protests mounted against Maduro, he called for a constituent assembly that would draft a new constitution to replace the 1999 Venezuela Constitution created under Chávez. Many countries considered these actions a bid by Maduro to stay in power indefinitely, and over 40 countries stated that they would not recognize the 2017 Constituent National Assembly (ANC). The Democratic Unity Roundtable—the opposition to the incumbent ruling party—boycotted the election, saying that the ANC was "a trick to keep [the incumbent ruling party] in power". Since the opposition did not participate in the election, the incumbent Great Patriotic Pole, dominated by the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, won almost all seats in the assembly by default. On 8 August 2017, the ANC declared itself to be the government branch with supreme power in Venezuela, banning the opposition-led National Assembly from performing actions that would interfere with the assembly while continuing to pass measures in "support and solidarity" with President Maduro, effectively stripping the National Assembly of all its powers.

2018 election and presidential crisis
In February 2018, Maduro called for presidential elections four months before the prescribed date. He was declared the winner in May 2018 after multiple major opposition parties were banned from participating, among other irregularities; many said the elections were invalid. Politicians both internally and internationally said Maduro was not legitimately elected, and considered him an ineffective dictator. In the months leading up to his 10 January 2019 inauguration, Maduro was pressured to step down by nations and bodies including the Lima Group (excluding Mexico), the United States, and the OAS; this pressure was increased after the new National Assembly of Venezuela was sworn in on 5 January 2019. Between the May 2018 presidential election and Maduro's inauguration, there were calls to establish a transitional government.

Maduro's new six-year term did not begin until 10 January 2019, when he took his official oath at a public ceremony in Caracas in front of the Venezuelan Supreme Court. The ceremony was attended by spectators such as Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Bolivian President Evo Morales. The elections were widely disputed both within Venezuela and in the broader international community. In January 2019, the National Assembly declared the results of the election invalid, and invoked clauses of the 1999 Venezuelan Constitution to install National Assembly Speaker Juan Guaidó as acting president, precipitating the Venezuelan presidential crisis. Maduro's supporters refused to acknowledge the move, and Guaidó was placed under arrest for a short time. Several international organizations and independent countries have lined up to support either side of the conflict, and the former Supreme Tribunal of Justice of Venezuela, in exile in Panama since 2017, has given its support to the legitimacy of the National Assembly's moves.

By January 2020, efforts led by Guaidó to create a transitional government had been unsuccessful and Maduro continued to control Venezuela's state institutions. In January 2021, the European Union stopped recognizing Guaidó as president, but still did not recognize Maduro as the legitimate president; the European Parliament reaffirmed its recognition of Guaidó as president, and the EU threatened with further sanctions. After the announcement of regional elections in 2021, Guaidó announced a "national salvation agreement" and proposed the negotiation with Maduro with a schedule for free and fair elections, with international support and observers, in exchange for lifting international sanctions.

In December 2022, three of the four main opposition political parties (Justice First, Democratic Action and A New Era) backed and approved a reform to dissolve the interim government and create a commission of five members to manage foreign assets, as deputies sought a united strategy ahead of the 2024 elections, stating that the interim government had failed to achieve the goals it had set.

Restructuring of the National Electoral Council (CNE)
In 2020, the Committee of Electoral Candidacies, in charge of appointing a new National Electoral Council (CNE), announced that it would suspend its meetings because of the coronavirus pandemic.

2020 transitional government proposal
On 31 March 2020, the United States proposed a transitional government that would exclude both Maduro and Guaidó from the presidency. The deal would enforce a power-sharing scenario between the different government factions. Elections would have to be held within the year, and all foreign militaries, particularly Cuba and Russia, would have to leave the country. The US were still seeking Maduro's arrest at the time of the announcement. Other aspects of the US deal would include releasing all political prisoners and setting up a five-person council to lead the country; two members each chosen by Maduro and Guaidó would sit on the council, with the last member selected by the four. The European Union also agreed to remove sanctions if the deal went ahead. Experts have noted that the deal is similar to earlier proposals but explicitly mentions who would lead a transitional government, something which stalled previous discussions, and comes shortly after the US indicted Maduro, which might pressure him to peacefully leave power.

Guaidó accepted the proposal, while Venezuela's foreign minister, Jorge Arreaza, rejected it and declared that only parliamentary elections would take place in 2020.

Opposition primaries
In November 2022, Diosdado Cabello, vice-president of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), insisted that the elections be moved forward to the first semester of 2023, stating that the opposition would end up confronting each other if this were the case considering that the primaries to define the candidate to represent them were planned for the same year.

June
On 3 June 2023 a group of women identified with the ruling party insulted and physically assaulted pre-candidate Henrique Capriles during a visit to Santa Inés, Carabobo state, in an attempt to disrupt his campaign.

On 30 June 2023, the Comptroller General announced that pre-candidate and former National Assembly member María Corina Machado was disqualified from holding public office for 15 years, linking her to alleged crimes of Juan Guaidó, as well as supporting international sanctions against the country. She can still participate in the opposition primaries because they are not regulated by Maduro's government. Capriles has the same sentence and cannot hold office until 2032. Analysts determined that the accusation of having participated in the interim was incoherent, taking into account that María Corina was not a member of the 2015 opposition National Assembly (being prevented by a disqualification from the Comptroller's Office), in addition to never having been appointed in any position in Guaidó's interim government. The disqualification has been considered illegal and unconstitutional by several jurists, including constitutional lawyer Allan Brewer Carías. The Latin American and Caribbean Network for Democracy cited the precedent of the Petro Urrego v. Colombia sentence of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in 2020, which determined that "it is a serious violation of political human rights if an administrative authority, and not a judge through due judicial process, politically disqualifies a citizen".

July
On 10 July 2023, reported militants of the Communist Party of Venezuela filed a writ of amparo to the Supreme Tribunal of Justice to appoint an ad hoc board considering to the party, saying that it is "kidnapped" by its general secretary Óscar Figuera. The action followed the pattern of the Democratic Action, Copei and Tupamaro parties, where new presidencies were imposed judicially, co-opting the name and symbols of the parties. Communist movements in Latin America expressed their support for the party, as well as the Communist Workers' Platform USA and the American Council of Bolsheviks, who said in a joint statement "the [ United Socialist Party of Venezuela] (PSUV), as a servant of the bourgeoisie, can never fulfill their false promise of socialism".

The same day, Venezuelan fact checking outlet Cazadores de Fake News denounced a discredit operation against María Corina Machado. The operation was promoted by a disinformation network that originally spread disinformation Leopoldo López, Juan Guaidó and other opposition politicians, and now focused in attacking María Corina.

On 12 July, eight out of the thirteen opposition candidates held a debate in the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello. It was the first presidential debate in Venezuela in 11 years, since 2012. The participants were María Corina Machado for Vente Venezuela, Carlos Prósperi for Democratic Action, Freddy Superlano for Popular Will, transgender candidate Tamara Adrián for Unidos por la Dignidad, Delsa Solórzano for Encuentro Ciudadano, Andrés Velásquez for La Causa R, César Pérez Vivas for Concertación Ciudadana and Andrés Caleca for Movimiento por Venezuela.

On 15 July, pro-government militants tried to attack María Corina during a campaign act in Vargas state. The following day, on 16 July, prevented a campaign rally in Petare, in the east of Caracas.

On 27 July, the Popular Will denounced that Freddy Superlano, the party's pre-candidate, had his passport taken away by Venezuelan authorities at the Atanasio Girardot international bridge on the border with Colombia.

On 22 July, Vente Venezuela denounced death threats to María Corina by the National Liberation Army (ELN), a far-left Colombian guerrilla group, after her campaign headquarters in La Fría, Táchira state, was painted overnight with messages such as "death to María Corina" and "primaries without María Corina", signed by the ELN. Four days later, the group denied being the authors of those threats.

August
On 12 August, pre-candidate Delsa Solórzano denounced death threats involving the ELN, including messages that reached her through social networks such as "the collective forces of the ELN are going to kill you". The Public Ministry announced that it would investigate these threats.

On 14 August, the Unitary Platform issued a communiqué rejecting statements by government authorities linking the opposition primaries to political violence.

On 15 August, followers of Henrique Capriles said that Chavistas attacked Capriles supporters at a rally in Apure state. According to his party, Justice First, this was the seventh aggression against the pre-candidate or his followers since 29 May.

October
On 12 October, Fuerza Vecinal requested the suspension of the primaries, arguing that "There were not conditions". On 21 October, the day before the primaries, the regulatory entity CONATEL prohibited several media from covering the elections, for which reason the main radio circuits in Venezuela had to suspend operations, as well as television channels. The fact was denounced by the National Union of Press Workers (SNTP).

Conduct
In the early morning of 22 October, Acción Democrática candidate, Carlos Prosperi, insulted journalist Eugenio Martínez after Martínez questioned accusations about the process of designation of table members.

The president of the National Primary Commission (CP), Jesus Maria Casal, offered the first balance of the primaries around 9:15 am, stating that by that time more than 70% of the polling stations had been installed and that by then no incidents had been registered.

In the morning, in the El Guarataro neighborhood of western Caracas, colectivos prevented the installation of the voting center in the area. The non-governmental organization Voto Joven denounced that the groups stole material from a voting table and that violence with a firearm was registered. Neighbors of the neighborhood installed the voting center after the intimidation. In Plaza La Estrella, in Caracas, the beginning of voting was postponed due to the intentional burning of garbage in the center of the voting point. Nuns of the Patronato San José de Tarbes denounced that voters who tried to participate were threatened by colectivos, and that the center had to be moved to another location. Also in the morning, armed civilians entered the voting point La Cañada, in San Juan parish, pointed at the coordinator of the voting center and took away a table during the beginning of the process, firing several shots.

In Santa Rosalía parish, motorcyclists threw a tear gas cannister in the vicinity of the voting center. The point remained open and voters continued with the process. In the afternoon, two men fired shots into the air at the voting point in Las Acacias, Caracas. Voters temporarily dispersed before returning to the polling place again.

The vice-president of the Regional Board of Monagas state, Dexcy Moya, denounced that colectivos shouted expletives and threats in several voting centers in Maturin.

From his polling station, Prosperi criticized again the organization of the primary elections, stating that in some polling stations there was no distribution of electoral material. Prosperi was booed by the voters present. A video was later leaked on social networks where Prosperi disowned in advance the results of the primaries, before they were announced. His party Acción Democrática rejected the statements, saying that "it does not represent the position of the party" and to be "firm with unity".

Exclusion of Machado and broken 2023 deal
In May 2023, the Unitary Platform announced primaries would be held to choose a single candidate for the presidential elections. The October 2023 Unitary Platform presidential primaries was won in a landslide by María Corina Machado A few months earlier, in 30 June 2023, she had been disqualified for fifteen years by the Comptroller General of Venezuela. The sentence was then pending a decision in court.

In October 2023, a deal was made between the opposition and Maduro's government over the holding of free and fair elections and the US in return for easing sanctions over the sale of oil.

María Corina Machado disqualification was however confirmed by the Supreme Court of Justice of Venezuela in January 2024. Moreover, following the poor turnout in the 2023 Venezuelan referendum, the chief prosecutor of Venezuela, Tarek William Saab, accused opposition leaders of sabotaging the referendum and issued arrest warrants for 15 of them, with charges such as treason and conspiracy. This appeared to be a further attempt to suppress political opposition ahead of the 2024 presidential election, despite free and fair elections being agreed with the US as a condition for lifting sanctions. María Corina Machado and her supporters said they were attacked by colectivos during a February 2024 campaign rally in Charallave, Miranda state. Machado denounced that the attack occurred in front of security officials, who did not intervene. With the main opposition candidate being banned from running, the US claimed Maduro's government had “fallen short” on its commitments, and reinstated the oil sanctions in April 2024.

Organizations such as the United Nations, the Organization of American States, the European Union, and Human Rights Watch, as well as countries such as Colombia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Ecuador, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Chile, Canada and France, rejected the political disqualification of opposition pre-candidate María Corina Machado. Several foreign political leaders have condemned her disqualification, such as President Luis Lacalle Pou of Uruguay, President Mario Abdo Benítez of Paraguay, and President Gustavo Petro of Colombia, who in the past was also disqualified by an administrative instance and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights restored his political rights. At the Mercosur summit, President Alberto Fernández of Argentina, and President Lula da Silva of Brazil, refused to reject the disqualification. Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State, called Machado's disqualification "deeply unfortunate". The European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, stated that the disqualification "undermines democracy". On 13 July 2023, the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning the disqualification.

Election dates and new law
Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in 2024. According to the Venezuelan Constitution, presidential elections are to take place no later than December.

The National Election Council (CNE) announced in March 2024 that the election would be held on 28 July, with filing of candidacies set to run from 21 to 25 March and campaigning from 4 to 25 July. On 2 April, Delcy Rodríguez presented the Law against Fascism, Neofascism and Similar Expressions to the V National Assembly of Venezuela, controlled by the Maduro administration; it passed its first reading that day. The law, which would need a second hearing, would create penalties including increased sentences for organizations that promote what Maduro's government defines as fascism;  critics say it would be used to limit opposition to Maduro's government ahead of the July election.

Electoral process
The President of Venezuela is elected by plurality in a single round of voting.

The elections will be overseen by the National Electoral Council (CNE), with poll workers drafted via a lottery of registered voters. Polling places are equipped with multiple high-tech touch-screen DRE voting machines, one to a "mesa electoral", or voting "table". After the vote is cast, each machine prints out a paper ballot, or VVPAT, which is inspected by the voter and deposited in a ballot box belonging to the machine's table. The voting machines perform in a stand-alone fashion, disconnected from any network until the polls close. Voting session closure at each of the voting stations in a given polling center is determined either by the lack of further voters after the lines have emptied, or by the hour, at the discretion of the president of the voting table.

As part of the election administration the National Electoral Council planned a post-election audit of 54% of polling places, comparing the electronic records with the paper trail.

The first issue of the Electoral Gazette reported that Venezuela's Electoral Registry had 21,010,514 registered voters. Of these, 20,675,478 were in Venezuela, 107,836 were abroad, and 227,200 were foreign citizens in the country. The NGO Súmate noted a decline in registered voters over the past six publications in 2021 and 2022, with 84,115 fewer voters since the last publication. They also highlighted that 53,991 voters had objections and couldn't vote, urging them to check their status on the Electoral Council's website and file a claim if necessary..

After the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning the political disqualification of opposition pre-candidate María Corina Machado, the president of the pro-government National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, declared on 13 July 2023 that the Venezuelan government would not allow a European Union electoral observation mission.

In August 2023, the NGO Súmate denounced that at least 92 candidates for rectors of the CNE were linked to Chavismo, pointing out that article 9 of the Organic Law of Electoral Processes prohibits members of the Council to have any political affiliation. Sumate also stated that one of the nominees had been convicted for homicide and extortion in 1998, that 46 candidates repeated the candidacy after running in 2021 and that by that time they were deputies of the pro-government National Assembly. On 15 August, the pro-government National Assembly declared itself in permanent session to appoint the new CNE rectors.

On 5 March 2024, the National Electoral Council in Venezuela called presidential elections for 28 July 2024, also announcing the most notable events on the electoral schedule:

Observers
On 28 May 2024, the CNE revoked its invitation for observers from the European Union to monitor the election, citing existing sanctions against Venezuelan officials, although the EU temporarily relaxed sanctions on the CNE's head, Elvis Amoroso.

On 20 June 2024, the Carter Center agreed to send observers to the election. This decision was made in response to concerns about the lack of sufficient independent monitors, which could undermine the legitimacy of the election results.

On 25 June 2024, the United Nations announced that it would deploy a team of four experts to monitor Venezuela’s elections. This decision followed the opposition's refusal to sign an agreement recognizing the presidential vote's results. The UN team will independently produce a confidential report for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, including recommendations for future elections in Venezuela.

On 17 July 2024, The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) of Brazil, which had previously rejected an invitation from Nicolás Maduro's government to send observers to the presidential elections on July 28, announced a reversal of its decision and will now send two observers. Initially, the TSE did not provide reasons for its refusal but later informed Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs that it would dispatch Sandra Damiani, director of the TSE's Electoral Management Advisory, and José de Melo Cruz, head of the Electoral Systems Coordination.

The Great Simón Bolívar Patriotic Pole
On 16 March 2024, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) formally announced that incumbent President Nicolás Maduro would be their candidate to run in the presidential election. This will be Maduro's third run for a six-year term as president. Maduro officially registered his candidacy on 25 March.

Unitary Platform
On 16 May 2023, the Unitary Platform announced the holding of a primary process to elect a single candidate for the presidential elections, the 2023 Unitary Platform presidential primaries. On 24 July 2023, the application period ended, in which 14 candidates registered. After the primary election was held on 22 October 2023, a first bulletin was released with only 26% counted and the winner was María Corina Machado, sweeping more than 90% of the vote. On 23 October, the second electoral bulletin of the National Primary Commission was delivered, where it was announced that with 92.65% counted, Corina Machado maintained more than 90% of the votes and was determined to be the candidate for the Unitary Platform for the 2024 Venezuelan presidential elections.

On 22 March 2024, Maria Corina Machado announced that historian and professor Corina Yoris was selected as the presidential candidate of the Venezuelan opposition due to Machado's disqualification.

Yoris was unable to officially register as a candidate in the presidential election, with Unitary Platform representatives saying that the electoral commission had blocked her registration. Following outcry from countries including the US, Brazil, Colombia, and Guatemala the Unitary Platform registered former diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia as its temporary candidate pending the selection of another one. On 19 April 2024, the Unitary Platform voted, alongside the cooperation of aspiring candidate Governor Manuel Rosales, to have González Urrutia be the only candidate that represents the Venezuelan opposition. Rosales accepted this result, leaving González Urrutia to be the official opposition candidate for the July election.

A New Era
Governor Manuel Rosales officially inscribed and launched his candidacy for president "at the last minute"—a move that took the Unitary Platform by surprise, though he indicated he would cede his position to a unified opposition candidate. Rosales has been recognized as a more moderate opposition candidate and has been negotiable with the Maduro government; he recognized Maduro's contested 2018 election and condemned sanctions on Venezuela enacted by the United States.

On 19 April 2024, A New Era and the Unitary Platform announced that, after a unanimous vote, Rosales would withdraw from the race and endorse Edmundo González.

Democratic Alliance
At the moment, the Democratic Alliance, which has stated that it would not participate in the Unitary Platform’s primary process, has not yet said by which means it will elect its candidate. Nonetheless, they have expressed their intentions for their nominee to be the sole candidate of the opposition.

On 22 April 2024, Juan Carlos Alvarado pulled out of the race to support Luis Eduardo Martínez. Martínez stated that if elected, he would appoint Alvarado as vice president.

Other candidates
During the 2024 Venezuelan presidential elections, eleven candidates without significant representation were registered following the Maduro administration's veto of opposition candidates María Corina Machado and Corina Yoris. The Chavismo in Venezuela has allowed the registration of candidates considered to be collaborators, false opposition, and politicians aligned with the Bolivarian strategy for the July 2024 presidential elections, while blocking genuine opposition candidates.

Among these candidates are individuals with ties to Chavismo and diverse figures such as a comedian and an evangelical pastor. Luis Eduardo Martínez, a deputy for Acción Democrática (AD), has held positions as governor and councilor. Daniel Ceballos, former mayor of San Cristóbal and former member of the opposition student movement, has been favored by the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ). Antonio Ecarri, with a background in education and public management, has declined multiple candidacies in his political career. Juan Carlos Alvarado, current Secretary-General of COPEI, was appointed by the TSJ and has validated the Chavismo's control of the Parliament. Benjamín Rausseo, a comedian and businessman known as "Er Conde del Guácharo," has made previous attempts for public office. Javier Bertucci, an evangelical pastor and deputy, has a criminal record related to diesel smuggling. José Brito, a former member of Primero Justicia, has been accused of corruption and collaborating with the administration to prevent the re-election of Juan Guaidó. Claudio Fermín, with extensive political experience and positions in the Executive Branch, has been an unsuccessful presidential candidate several times. Luis Ratti, a businessman and preacher, has requested the suspension of opposition primaries. Enrique Márquez, a former rector of the National Electoral Council (CNE), has held seats in the National Assembly and served as its vice president. Finally, Manuel Rosales, current governor of Zulia and member of Un Nuevo Tiempo, has a history of confrontation and collaboration with Chavismo, having been a presidential candidate in 2006 and faced accusations of illicit enrichment.

Issues in overseas voter registration
The special day for voter registration abroad was marred by delays in the process of up to five days, as occurred in Spain, Argentina, Peru and Chile. Citizen complaints that they were not able to register or update their data continued. The head of the negotiating delegation of the Unitary Platform, Gerardo Blyde, said during an interview that the government was unwilling to guarantee the participation of Venezuelans abroad. The requirements for voter registration are very restrictive, namely a current passport, being one of the most expensive in the world.

On 16 April, the special day for voter registration concluded. Of the approximately 7.72 million Venezuelans abroad, 80% of whom have the right to vote, the CNE only authorized some of the consulates to hold registration. Many Venezuelans were unable register due to the absence of an authorized consulate in their country of residence or the distance from their location. In many consulates, delays were observed in registration. David Smolansky, former mayor of El Hatillo, accused the administration of blocking the registration of at least 4.5 million overseas Venezuelans through “a policy of systematic and generalized discrimination" as well as its "requirements to register and change residence address" that led to "queues at the consulates".

According to a preliminary report on 2 May from the CNE, of the almost 7.72 million Venezuelans abroad, only 69,189 will be able to vote, of which only 6,020 citizens abroad managed to change their voting center in Venezuela. to the country where they reside. The number of new people registered to vote abroad was negligible due to the number of requirements imposed by the CNE and the Foreign Ministry: in Mexico 69 people managed to register as new voters, in Spain 97, in Argentina 27; in Colombia only 25; in Ecuador 13 and in Peru only six.

Disqualification of political parties
On 17 March, the CNE approved the disqualification of 16 political parties from nominating candidates in the presidential elections, after not reaching 1% of the minimum votes in the 2021 Venezuelan regional elections, without offering a validation or repair process required by electoral law. This included:


 * Adelante
 * Centrados
 * Única
 * National Convergence
 * Suma País
 * Encuentro Ciudadano
 * Generación Independiente (Gente)
 * Partido Unión y Entendimiento (Puente)
 * Movimiento al Socialismo (Venezuela) (MAS)
 * Fuerza del Cambio (FDC)
 * Nueva Visión para mi País (Nuvipa)
 * Unidad Política Popular 89 (UPP-89)
 * Unión y Progreso (Venezuela)
 * Prociudadanos (LPC)
 * Compromiso País (Compa)

Blocking of the CNE portal
Following the end of the registration period for candidates on 25 March, María Corina Machado said the next day that the Unitary Platform was prevented from registering Corina Yoris's candidacy, while Manuel Rosales said that he did not represent the Unitary Platform. Shortly afterwards, the CNE, following international pressure, authorized a 12-hour extension to register candidates, which enabled the Unitary Platform card to provisionally register its candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia.

Obstruction of voting abroad
The special day for registration in the Electoral Registry abroad presented delays in its installation of up to five days, as occurred in Spain, Argentina, Peru and Chile. Citizen complaints that they were not able to register or update their data continued. The head of the negotiating delegation of the Unitary Platform, Gerardo Blyde, said during an interview that the government has not been willing to guarantee the participation of Venezuelans abroad. The requirements for voters are very restrictive to register, which are not contemplated in the constitution as a current passport, being one of the most expensive in the world, having permanent residence, the majority have the PTP (Temporary Permission to Stay) or PPT (Permission for Temporary Protection), they do not have residence, consequently, very few are registering.

On April 16, the special day for registration and updating of the Electoral Registry of Venezuela concluded. Of the approximately 7.72 million Venezuelans abroad, 80% of whom have the right to vote, the CNE only authorized some of the consulates. Many Venezuelans could not register because, in their country of residence, there was no authorized consulate or it was very far from their location. In many of the consulates, delays were observed in their installation, the CNE registered little political interest in solving the problem, because it is known that the majority registers an opposition tendency, coupled with a limited time allocated. David Smolansky denounced: "The regime decided to block the registration of at least 4.5 million Venezuelans abroad. A policy of systematic and generalized discrimination", the requirements to register and change residence address formed long queues at the consulates, few managed to register."

According to a first report on May 2 from the CNE, which closed the RE on April 16, of the almost 7.72 million Venezuelans abroad, only 69,189 will be able to vote. of which only 6,020 citizens abroad managed to change their voting center from Venezuela to country where they reside. The number of new people registered to vote abroad was negligible due to the number of requirements imposed by the CNE and the Foreign Ministry: in Mexico 69 people managed to register as new voters, in Spain 97, in Argentina 27; in Colombia only 25; in Ecuador 13 and in Peru only six. In conclusion, the exact number of citizens who will be able to vote is 21 million 402 thousand 220 citizens, of which only 69,189 will be able to do so outside the country.

In mid-June the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) demanded that Venezuela "adopt the necessary measures" to guarantee the right to vote for compatriots abroad for the presidential elections. He reiterated that "a genuine commitment to democracy requires that the State immediately reestablish the separation and independence of public powers." Organizations estimate that around 5.5 million would be qualified to vote, but only 69,211 nationals, according to the electoral roll, were able to register or update their data in embassies abroad.

Polling
As of July 2024, most polls favor González Urrutia to win by a wide margin.

"Poll war" and possible manipulation
In Venezuela, proliferation of surveys from recognized companies and new firms with little track record is occurring in the run-up to the presidential elections. Experts state that some polls are used as "propaganda tools" by chavismo.

Colombian newspaper El Tiempo states that a "poll war" has started with new polling groups appearing since May 2024, whose results supporting Maduro differ from results from longer established, traditional pollsters which show Maduro trailing. El Tiempo writes that analysts say this "poll war" is a "new government strategy". El Tiempo names IdeaDatos and Data Viva (about which El Tiempo says little is known) as pollsters who results favor Maduro, in contrast to other polls.

NTN24 singled out new pollsters Insight and IdeaDatos in June 2024, writing that "Eight of ten [recent] polls give the winner to the opposition candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, and the only two that give victory to ... Maduro, are unknown firms and their social media accounts are recent", adding that IdeaDatos and PoliAnalítico "actively campaign for Nicolás Maduro".

According to La Patilla, Juan Manuel Trak, a sociologist and doctor in contemporary political processes, writes that polls in Venezuela are systematically used as propaganda tools to influence public opinion on possible election results, with examples of manipulated polls for propaganda purposes from both the government and the opposition. The Informative Coalition C-INFORMA concluded that 6 out of 14 evaluated firms, newly created and of dubious credibility, have published 37 public opinion studies used in a strategy to manipulate the electoral climate. According to their findings, 7 pollsters are part of a possible information manipulation campaign, 6 in favor of Maduro and one in favor of the opposition. Jesús Castellanos, a political scientist expert in electoral affairs, also recognizes the existence of a "poll war," with a predominance of firms favoring Maduro disseminating "fake news" or showing clear bias towards the president. Eugenio Martínez, a journalist and director of the monitoring NGO Votoscopio, argues that there is no poll war per se but rather a misinformation strategy and the absence of independent media. Martínez highlights that the majority of polls favor the opposition, but the size of the gap between the candidates depends on voter turnout. In Venezuela, where voting is not mandatory, higher turnout would increase González Urrutia's advantage, while lower turnout would reduce the difference. Different surveys show disparate results: six pollsters favor the opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, while others favor President Nicolás Maduro. Well-known firms in the Venezuelan political sphere, such as Datanálisis, Datincorp, Delphos, and Consultores 21, along with the emerging Poder y Estrategia, indicate that González Urrutia has more than 50% of the vote intention. Surveys by Hinterlaces and other lesser-known companies like Polymarket, IMC Orientación, and DataViva show Maduro with between 54% and 70% preference. CECA Consultores mentions a technical tie slightly favoring the opposition.

According to an Efecto Cocuyo fact check, IdeaDatos published its first poll on 6 May 2024 – a 29 April to 3 May 2024 poll – and their data was re-published by multiple outlets that are in "favor of the government of Nicolás Maduro and against the Venezuelan opposition". Efecto Cocuyo stated that IdeaDatos then had no history of publishing its own polls on its Twitter account since its October 2020 creation and until May 2024, and there was "no further evidence of its existence as a company". Methodological concerns include erroneous conclusions, statistical and sampling data missing or wrong, and reliability data and margin of error inconsistencies. Efecto Cocuyo writes that similar problems were found in the publication of IdeaDatos second and third polls in May and June, and that the "firm's website does not have RIF [tax information], telephone number, email or physical address, names of directors or employees, or surveys before May 2024". Similar issues were found with Data Viva ("recently created, with methodological flaws, omissions about its business identity and a history of low-quality studies") and with CMIDE and Parametrica. With a similar profile, the new pollster, Global Census, first appeared on social media in March of 2024, and announced its first-time poll in favor of Maduro in June 2024.

Earlier problems were also found in Hinterlaces polling.

Also according to Efecto Cocuyo, on July 1, 2024, IMC Orientación published a poll placing Maduro in the lead. The firm's website was created on only days before its first poll and it has no employees, management, address, phone number, or contact email and lacks social media profiles. Its study presents methodological and statistical inconsistencies, such as interviewing 66% of women and 100% of respondents identifying with a political party. The firm IMC Orientación uses the same web frameworks as Paramétrica and has a similar web design, in addition to claiming to have numerous studies and publications without evidence. There are similar methodological problems, and the poll was similarly disseminated by several media outlets, although it lacks solid business support, qualifying it as inconsistent according to Efecto Cocuyo's fact check. ICS Latam is a polling firm founded in 2012 that, after a period of inactivity on its social media and with its website suspended since November 2023, reappeared in July 2024 to publish a survey showing Maduro leading. This survey lacks a Technical Sheet, violating Article 82 of the Organic Law of Electoral Processes (LOPE), which requires the inclusion of this information to ensure transparency and correct methodology. The survey was disseminated by media outlets such as Globovisión, El Universal, Venezuela News, Correo del Orinoco and NotiTarde, known for being part of a network of proxy media for sociopolitical misinformation in Venezuela. The lack of updates on their social media, the suspension of their website, and the dissemination of the survey by these media have raised doubts about the accuracy and quality of their data. The survey also presents statistical inconsistencies, such as the absence of "None" or "Don't know / Don't respond" categories, and a duration exceeding the recommended period to avoid mixing formed and forming opinions.

Univision announced in June 2024 that it was investigating publication of inaccurate polling data on its website.

Possibilities of a Maduro exit deal
On 19 July 2024, Elliott Abrams, diplomat and former special representative of the Trump administration for Venezuela, suggested that the United States should offer amnesty to Nicolás Maduro so that he recognizes the victory of the unified presidential candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, in the presidential elections on July 28. In an opinion piece published on the Council on Foreign Relations website, Abrams recalled that "in 1988, the United States negotiated with the then dictator of Panama, Manuel Noriega. Noriega had been indicted in Miami on drug trafficking charges, and we wanted him out of office and out of Panama."