The lead up to Venezuela’s presidential election, scheduled for this Sunday, July 28, hasn’t been about the candidates’ experience or the viability of their policies. The focus has been on whether the elections will look anything close to free and fair. Critics have expressed concern about the disqualification of opposition candidates and the absence of outside electoral observers. President Nicolás Maduro is running for a third consecutive term despite overwhelming opposition to his regime, which came to power in 2013 as the successor to Hugo Chávez. This time around, Maduro faces a relatively unknown candidate in Edmundo González Urrutia, a former diplomat. He took over after two other candidates were disqualified by the regime due to administrative errors in the registration process and unfounded corruption charges. There has been little room for discussion about environmental issues, despite the fact that the country has plunged into a crisis so severe that many observers now call it an ecocide. Mining has torn through the Amazon Rainforest. A neglected oil industry has polluted the coast. Protected areas are plundered for their timber and exotic species. Funds for scientific research have all but dried up. Funds for park guards have dwindled, as well. González Urrutia’s campaign has focused more on restoring free and fair elections and fixing the economy, the collapse of which has forced over 7.7 million people to migrate. But it’s inevitable that his government also addresses the environmental crisis at some point, even if just indirectly. The opposition has traditionally vied…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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