AP

Venezuela: Petition fell short in seeking Maduro recall vote

Jan 26, 2022, 10:31 PM | Updated: Jan 27, 2022, 12:33 pm

A man gives his fingerprint at a table set up by the National Election Council (CNE) where people c...

A man gives his fingerprint at a table set up by the National Election Council (CNE) where people can sign a petition in favor of holding a referendum to remove President Nicolas Maduro from office in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022. The signatures of 20 percent of registered voters must be collected in 12 hours to activate a presidential recall, a one rule that Maduro's opposition criticizes as impossible. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

(AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s National Electoral Council said Thursday that an opposition petition drive seeking to force a recall referendum against President Nicolás Maduro fell far short of the signatures needed, a result that had been expected because authorities allowed only a 12-hour period for the effort.

The council said only 42,421 signatures were collected Wednesday, while 4.2 million were needed.

As a result, “The National Council declares inadmissible the request for a referendum revoking the mandate of the president,” the council’s director, Tania D’Amelio, said in statements broadcast on state television.

Venezuela’s constitution allows voters to petition for a recall election once a president has served half of his term, as has Maduro, whose second six-year term ends in 2024. Twenty percent of voters in each state must sign such a petition to force a recall vote.

But the electoral council, which has a 3-2 majority favorable to the government, ruled the nearly 4.2 million signatures needed would have to be collected within a 12-hour period at 1,200 electoral centers across the country. That would have required people to be signing every 12 seconds or so at each of the centers for the full 12 hours.

There was no such turnout Wednesday at several centers visited by The Associated Press in the nation’s capital, Caracas. The centers looked empty and few people on the streets were aware signatures were being collected.

“I knew about the process, but I didn’t know it was today,” said Gémini Pino, a physician who was passing near one signature center.

Groups seeking the recall had urged people not to sign after the electoral council imposed its tough conditions.

A similar attempt to recall Maduro in 2016 was suspended by the electoral council at the order of local courts.

The latest effort came after regional elections across Venezuela that saw the government win a heavy majority of local races — but lose a highly symbolic gubernatorial vote in Barinas state, the home of the late President Hugo Chavez, who founded the ruling socialist movement.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Image: A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after ...

Associated Press

Authorities identify 2 bodies recovered at site of Baltimore bridge collapse

A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.

1 day ago

Photo: Mountaineer Jim Whittaker has died at 95....

Gene Johnson, The Associated Press

Lou Whittaker, among the most famous American mountaineers, has died at age 95

Lou Whittaker, a legendary American mountaineer who helped lead ascents of Mount Everest, K2 and Denali, has died at age 95.

1 day ago

File photo: Former Sen. Joe Lieberman speaks in Washington on Jan. 18, 2024....

Associated Press

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dead at 82

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in 2000, has died.

1 day ago

islamic state attack...

Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press

What we know after the Islamic State group claims responsibility for Moscow massacre

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed at least 133 people.

5 days ago

Moscow shooting...

The Associated Press

Russia: 60 dead, 145 injured in concert hall raid; Islamic State group claims responsibility

Assailants burst into a concert hall in Moscow on Friday and sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing over 60 people, injuring more than 100.

7 days ago

Photo: Britain's Kate, Duchess of Cambridge visits 282 (East Ham) Squadron, RAF Air Cadets, Cornwel...

Associated Press

Kate Middleton announces she has cancer, is undergoing chemotherapy

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, says she is undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer. She has been out of view since Christmas.

7 days ago

Venezuela: Petition fell short in seeking Maduro recall vote