President Maduro gives Venezuelans early Christmas

VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT, Nicolás Maduro, has announced that Christmas will begin on October 1, two months early in the Spanish-speaking South American country, amidst protests over the July presidential elections. Monday night on his weekly television show, Maduro explained, “It’s September, and it really smells like Christmas. 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 1.”

This is not the first time Maduro has moved the holiday forward; it has become somewhat of a tradition since he gained power in 2013.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he announced the start of Christmas on October 15, and in 2021, he announced it on October 5 in a social media video.

The announcement received criticism from the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference. On Tuesday, September 3, they warned that the holiday “is not to be used for political or propaganda goals”.

This came as some Venezuelans suggested that the move to announce an early Christmas was to further his political goals.

Following the general elections on July 28, citizens took to the streets to protest the results announced by the electoral authorities. Maduro had won 51 per cent of the votes cast, while Edmundo González lost with 44 per cent, and claimed the election was stolen.