Venezuela held the municipal elections on July 27 to mark the end of this electoral cycle, which the regime of President Nicolás Maduro used to consolidate its control over the key territories where the main criminal economies in the country are concentrated.
In a vote defined by a low participation rate and the absence of any significant opposition, the Maduro's power party obtained 285 control of the 335 sows to be won, while the opposition candidates who participated in the elections won only 50, according to the results of the official elections. With this, the government obtained control of more municipalities than in 2021, when it won 212.
After Controversial presidential election 2024The regime began to plan to consolidate its power at the levels of the state and the municipalities by removing opposition figures which could disturb its corrupt criminal operations.
The regime took advantage of a low participation rate and a lack of confidence in the electoral system to move the legislative and state elections to May, although they are generally held towards the end of the calendar year. The ruling party obtained a majority in the National Assembly and won 23 of the 24 governors. This included Zulia, a key region of drug trafficking that they had previously lost alongside four other states in the elections in 2021.
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At the beginning of 2025 in certain municipalities of Zulia, for example, the regime carried out a wave of arrests opposition and mayors of the ruling party, highlighting the internal tensions between certain factions of the regime.
An analysis of insightful crime
Local opposition leaders for a long time represented a key obstacle to the efforts of the Maduro regime to consolidate power, but in the absence of these structures at the levels of the state and the municipalities, the ruling party has succeeded in restarting the country's political map and is now a little closer to tightening its grip on certain criminal economies.
A number of municipalities and states have become key parts in the criminal landscape of Venezuela. Amazonas and Bolívar, in the South, are now epicentres for illegal gold and the exploitation of the coltan; Some coastal cities play key roles in Moved drugs towards Central America and the Caribbean; And states along the Colombian border like Zulia, Táchira, Apure and Amazonas, have long Easy smuggling flow due in part to their vast networks of “trochas” or informal crossings.
Local political power and organized crime have long co-shot in Venezuela. In the border municipality of Jesús María Sempprún, in Zulia, the political authorities and international organizations consulted by Insight Crime accused of the late Mayor Wuyhsmans González to have links with the National Liberation Army (Ejercito de Liberación Nacional – Eln). Anti-drug officials have also accused another former mayor of the same city, Keyneth Fernández, of Facilitate drug trafficking From Colombia to Venezuela.
For the regime, it is essential to control these strategic territories, according to a source which, for years, has maintained close links with the regime and spoke to the crime of information subject to anonymity for security reasons.
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The fact that the ruling party has assumed power in several municipalities of these regions has the way to consolidate Maduro's political control, as well as influence on drug traffic flows and illegal extraction, which are two essential sources of illicit funds.
In this context, the Outlook seem dark. “What comes after the elections is that there will be no authority, there will be no mayor of the opposition in this area where drugs go to Zulia. It is a question of” getting out of the way so that I can take over “, a substitution of the bosses”, declared a manager of Zulia who asked not to be identified for security reasons.
Insight Crime has received several complaints concerning local political candidates with alleged ties with organized crime groups and other illicit activities. The dismantling of any political opposition will only deepen the so-called “Maduro”hybrid state», In which the State operates alongside criminal networks to control illegal economies.
Featured image: After the municipal elections, the Maduro government concludes an electoral cycle aimed at consolidating its control over most of Venezuela. Credit: AP
