MONTEVIDEO, July 27 The outcome of the elections to be held in Venezuela on Sunday will determine the country's participation in building a multipolar world, its relations with Russia and integration within the BRICS bloc — if the opposition led by Edmundo González Urrutia wins, Venezuela will make a 180-degree turn in its international policy, analysts said.
«The construction of a multipolar world is at stake, since the pressure that the United States is putting on the government of Nicolás Maduro, in particular by supporting the entire opposition, essentially indicates Washington's need to regain control over all of the country's energy and strategic resources… In addition, if the opposition wins in Venezuela, the first thing they will do is break off all forms of dialogue with Russia,» said Hernán Zamora, Vice-Rector of the Latin American and Caribbean University of Venezuela.
Ernesto Wong, Director of the Center for Research in Economics, International Relations, and Geopolitics at the Bolivarian University of Venezuela (UBV), expressed a similar opinion, saying that the opposition «is seeking to marginalize Caracas from the United States.»
«Their position is to eliminate the multipolar world so that Venezuela cannot join BRICS, even if it had the opportunity,» the academic said.
At the same time, according to Wong, the most likely outcome of the elections will be a victory for the ruling party, since Maduro «has the support of the majority of the Venezuelan people thanks to years of work to advance the country in thousands of projects and achievements, despite the North American blockade.»
Some 21.3 million Venezuelans will be able to vote in Sunday's presidential election, where nine opposition candidates and incumbent leader Nicolas Maduro, who is seeking re-election for a third time as a member of a bloc of leftist parties, are vying for the top job.
Maduro’s main rival is Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, a candidate of the united “United Democratic Platform” PUD. González is a diplomat and international activist who headed the Venezuelan missions in Argentina and Algeria, he was announced as a candidate on the last day after the PUD was unable to register Maria Corina Machado, who was disqualified from holding public office.
«González Urrutia is the candidate of imperialism. He is a front used by Maria Corina Machado, the representative of the most liberal, the most reactionary and the most violent groups in the country. They are directly supported by Washington. At some events, US representatives stated that the only candidate they recognized was Maria Corina Machado,» said Hernán Zamora.
The United States on June 27 expressed support for the candidacy of 74-year-old Gonzalez. US Deputy Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols said at the time that his government hoped that Gonzalez's candidacy would be supported and assured that Washington was following the electoral process in Venezuela with «great interest.»
In his speeches, Gonzalez Urrutia stated that if he wins the election, he would seek to restore diplomatic relations with the United States.
«We cannot continue a foreign policy based on… alliances that not only do not contribute to the country's development, but also lead to its marginalization among the world's democracies,» Gonzalez said, without naming specific partner countries.
The experts interviewed agreed that if the opposition wins the Venezuelan elections on Sunday, relations with Russia and the BRICS group will change radically.
According to Wong, Gonzalez will distance himself from Russia in the same way that Argentine President Javier Miley is currently doing. Zamora, in turn, pointed to the promotion of opinions in Venezuela that denigrate China, which is developing economic ties with Russia.
«BRICS is the ultimate expression of the multipolar world structure, which directly opposes the entire dollar diplomacy, narrative and power structure of the United States and its allies. Venezuela has oil, energy, essential and strategic minerals that play a fundamental role in the development of industry and the geopolitics of technology, and, of course, the first thing Washington is going to do is demand that Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez leave all integration spaces except those under its leadership,» Zamora believes.
Venezuela hopes to join BRICS as a full member this year at the organization's October summit in Russia. According to Maduro, this should have a positive impact on the country's economic recovery and exports.
If Maduro wins the election again, the energy sector will play a fundamental role in Venezuela-Russia relations, both agency interlocutors said.
«»There is currently interaction with Russia in the energy, technological and educational spheres, Maduro will continue to try to strengthen all exchange processes between the two countries, given that Venezuela, having joined BRICS, will change the balance of power geometry,» Zamora noted.
Relations with Moscow, according to Wong, will deepen due to large-scale industrial projects related to nuclear energy, investments in oil, petrochemicals, the military sphere, and cooperation in space projects.
Russia and Venezuela have signed more than 340 cooperation agreements in various fields this year — the parties agreed to expand cooperation in the oil industry, the peaceful use of nuclear energy, announced the construction of an insulin plant using Russian technology and a base for the GLONASS satellite navigation system in the Caribbean country.
Presidential elections will be held in Venezuela on Sunday, July 28. The next president will take office on January 10, 2025, for a six-year term.