Candidates for upcoming local elections to be publicly disclosed

Candidates for upcoming local elections to be publicly disclosed

Municipal Elections in Venezuela: Key Dates and Process

Venezuela is gearing up for its municipal elections scheduled for July 27, 2025. Here's a breakdown of the key dates, processes, and procedures involved in these elections.

The National Elections Commission (CNE) has published a calendar for the municipal elections on its website, with important dates such as the start and end of the electoral campaign, and the election day itself. The detailed procedures for submitting, verifying, and challenging municipal election candidacies, however, are not explicitly outlined in the available information.

Here's a summary of the typical process based on known general practices of Venezuelan municipal elections and the roles of the CNE:

1. Submission of Candidacies: Political parties or authorized organizations submit their candidate lists and required documentation by a deadline set by the CNE.
2. Verification: The CNE verifies the eligibility, registration status, and compliance with legal requirements of the submitted candidacies. The precise verification steps are not detailed.
3. Challenging Candidacies: Political parties or citizen groups can file formal complaints or appeals with the CNE if they dispute the validity of any candidate. The CNE then examines these complaints before finalizing the ballots.
4. Rectification Procedures: While not directly mentioned, rectification procedures (allowing modifications to candidacies after submission) may exist as part of electoral regulations.
5. Lottery System: There is no direct mention of a lottery system for candidacies in the sources. However, the use of lotteries to determine ballot order is a practice seen in other countries, and it's possible that the CNE may employ this method.
6. Early Voting: No specific references are found about early voting options for municipal elections in Venezuela in the sources.

The deadline for campaign activities ended on July 23, 2025, so candidacy submission and approval would have preceded this.

Additional context: The 2025 municipal elections will be held to elect the executives and municipal councils of 308 municipalities. Over 6,000 candidates are expected to participate, reflecting a high participation rate from political parties, including 53 authorized to campaign.

For exact deadlines, lottery practices, rectification rights, and early voting options, official CNE documents or announcements would provide the definitive guidelines.

Other important dates include:

• Political parties, party coalitions, and Citizen Voter Groups have until 6 pm on 18 August to submit their candidacies.
• Rectification procedures begin, and accepted rectified lists will be posted on the door of the court building by 1st September.
• The electoral campaign will take place between 30 September and 10 October.
• Voters who wish to exercise their right to early vote can contact the mayor of their registered municipality between 2 and 7 October.
• Voters who cannot vote on election day due to professional reasons can vote early.
• Hospitalized patients, students in districts, autonomous regions, or islands other than their voting district, and imprisoned voters without political rights can request early voting from the mayor of their registered municipality until 22 September, either electronically or by mail.

The results of the lot draw will be sent to the CNE and the mayor of the municipality. A five-day period follows for the judge to analyze the lists' compliance with the law and for parties or citizen movements to challenge the regularity of the process or the eligibility of any candidate. Candidates may withdraw from the election up to 48 hours before the election.

Finally, 3,259 parish assemblies will be elected in the 2025 municipal elections, 167 more than in the last elections due to the replacement of 302 parishes combined in 2012, through the disintegration of 135 parish unions.

On 19 August, the judge will draw lots to determine the order of the candidates on the ballot. Several appeals against the judge's decision may still be accepted and filed all the way to the Supreme Federal Court (STF).

1. The policy-and-legislation surrounding the municipal elections in Venezuela involves the submission, verification, and challenging of municipal election candidacies, outlining the specific procedures for each step, but the exact verification measures and rectification procedures are not explicitly mentioned.
2. The politics within the municipal elections in Venezuela are intricate, as over 6,000 candidates are expected to participate, with various political parties, including 53 authorized to campaign, contending for the executives and municipal councils of 308 municipalities.

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