Venezuela moves Christmas to Oct. 1, President Nicolás Maduro decrees
The premature holiday has been perceived by many Venezuelans as an attempt to win public favour and mask economic collapse amid political unrest in the country.
Christmas has arrived early in Venezuela, at least according to the country’s embattled president, Nicolás Maduro.
Amid ongoing political turmoil, Maduro, who is at the center of a highly disputed election, announced on Monday that Christmas would be moved to October 1st this year.
“It’s September, and it already smells like Christmas,” he said during his weekly TV show, More with Maduro. “That’s why this year, as a way of paying tribute to you all, and in gratitude to you all, I’m going to decree an early Christmas for October 1st.”
“Christmas has arrived for everyone, in peace, joy, and security!” Maduro proclaimed.
Many Venezuelans see this early holiday as an attempt by Maduro to win public favor and distract from the country’s deep economic crisis and political unrest.
“Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy, family reunions, parties, and presents,” said José Ernesto Ruiz, a 57-year-old office worker, in an interview with the Associated Press. “Without money and with this political crisis, who can believe that there will be an early Christmas?”
Just over five weeks ago, Maduro’s ruling party declared victory in Venezuela’s presidential election, though the country’s electoral council did not release a detailed breakdown of the results.
Venezuela’s Supreme Court has backed Maduro’s claim to the presidency, but the nation’s most prominent opposition party, along with the United Nations and the NGO the Carter Center, have challenged the election results.
Presidential candidate Edmundo González and his party have shared electronic copies of their own electoral results, asserting that González was the rightful winner.
Only hours before his Christmas announcement, Maduro issued an arrest warrant for González on charges of conspiracy, falsifying documents, and usurping powers.
On Tuesday, White House national security spokesman John Kirby condemned Maduro’s arrest warrant for González.
“This is just another example of Mr. Maduro’s efforts to maintain power by force and to refuse to recognize that Mr. González won the most votes on the 28th of July,” Kirby said. “We’re considering a range of options to demonstrate to Mr. Maduro and his representatives that their actions in Venezuela will have consequences.”
In a separate development on Monday, the U.S. Justice Department announced the seizure of Maduro’s luxury jet, alleging it was illegally purchased through a shell company and smuggled out of the U.S. in violation of sanctions and export control laws.
Critics of Maduro, both within Venezuela and abroad, have accused him of suppressing dissent in the country.
Since the election in July, reports indicate that Maduro has jailed over 2,000 protesters, vowing to send them to maximum-security prisons with 30-year sentences. Several journalists have also reportedly been deported from Venezuela, according to the country’s reporter’s union.
This isn’t the first time Maduro has rescheduled Christmas. In 2021, as Venezuela grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, he declared that Christmas would start on October 4th. Last year, he moved the celebration to November 1st.
Maduro has been in power since 2013.
