2015-2016: President Maduro Recognized the National Assembly Opposition Majority

On December 6, 2015 Venezuela held an election for the 167 seats in the National Assembly (NA). In the early morning hours of December 7, Tibisay Lucena, the President of the National Electoral Council, announced that the opposition coalition had won a majority of the seats. President Maduro appeared on national TV and accepted the results.

The newly-elected National Assembly was seated on January 5, 2016.Maduro instructed the military to guarantee the opposition access to the Assembly so that it could be seated peacefully. [5] Long-time Assembly member Henry Ramos Allup was elected the NA President. He stated that the NA would oust Maduro from the Presidency within six months.

Maduro delivered his 2016 State of Nation address before the National Assembly on January 15,2016. He spoke for three hours. His speech was broadcast live on all the TV stations in Venezuela. He reiterated his acceptance of the opposition’s legislative victory. Maduro took a conciliatory tone in his address, calling for dialogue. [1]

Maduro then sat through a 30-minute critical rebuttal delivered by Ramos Allup. Allup’s speech was also carried live on all the TV stations. Allup wagged his finger inches from Maduro’s head and laid out the view that Maduro was responsible for the Nation’s economic crisis [2].

·        “Having Maduro come to the NA to give his State of the Nation, having the opposition majority behave during his speech, having Allup exercise the right of response, and having Maduro sit through until the end was a victory for Venezuelan democracy.”[3]

·        “This was happening in a country that the Western media had for many years depicted as having a thoroughly silenced opposition.” [4]

     

 

1.      Venezuelanalysis, Venezuela’s Maduro Delivers 2016 State of the Union Address, January 19, 2016

2.      Las Vegas Sun, Venezuela President Gets Rare Live TV Criticism, January 15,2016

3.      Smilde, David, Four Takeaways from Maduro’s State of the Nation Address, WOLA, January 16, 2016

4.      Emersberger J. and J. Podur, Extraordinary Threat, Monthly Review Press, 2021

5.      Associated Press, Venezuela Opposition Controls Congress after 17 Years, January 5, 2016

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