Guaidó insists there are no guarantees for "free and fair" elections

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó insisted Tuesday that there are no conditions or guarantees in the country for a "free and fair election," after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro decided to welcome the opposition's announcement that it will participate in the regional and local elections on November 21.

"Maduro: get serious. We all know that today there are no conditions or guarantees for a free and fair election. So much so, that you are sitting as a counterpart in an international negotiation process that seeks those electoral, political guarantees and a timetable for elections," Guaidó said on his Twitter account.

He added that Venezuelans, together with the international community, are demanding and working for an agreement that "puts an end to the tragedy".

"You do not have, nor will you have recognition. That will only be given by a presidential election that you denied and from which you are running away today," said the opposition leader, who said that the conditions for "free and fair" elections must be consolidated.

"Those who decided to participate and those who did not, we fought for liberation and democracy, to get out of the tragedy, in the street, or in Mexico. We are fighting for conditions to get out of the dictatorship," he said.

Maduro previously assured that it is "worthy of applause" that the Venezuelan opposition has taken the decision to go to the local and regional elections on 21 November.

"I ask for applause for the G-4 (group of the four largest opposition parties) and for their announcement, I ask for applause because it is worth applauding the political gesture of participating in the elections," Maduro said at an event of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) broadcast by the state-run VTV channel.

Maduro considered that the opposition's electoral participation was possible thanks to the mediation of the president of the parliament and head of the government delegation in the negotiations with the opposition, Jorge Rodríguez.

"He convinced them on my behalf," commented Maduro, who affirmed that he sent them "direct messages" and met "with them several times", despite the fact that the promoter of the negotiation was Guaidó, who launched the proposal, accepted by the government, on 11 May.

Finally, he called on "all voters" to "go out and vote" and assured that he has already reserved a box and "cotufas" (popcorn) to "see Juan Guaidó voting on 21 November".

Shortly before his speech, members of the opposition, united in the Unitary Platform announced at an event their "participation in the regional and municipal process of 21 November 2021, with the card of the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD)", recently enabled, after being disqualified since 2018 by decision of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ).

The secretary general of the opposition Democratic Action party, Henry Ramos Allup, said during an appearance before the press that the decision to participate was taken after consulting its militants and that they expressed their desire to attend, because it is what citizens have requested.

"The ordinary people want representation, they want to be present, they don't want us to leave another gap so that the government can continue to monopolise everything at will and we are left with absolutely no representation at all," he said.

Ramos Allup ratified that the participation will be with the MUD card, as it is the easiest way, since most of the opposition parties were intervened by the TSJ.