section_path: Campaign
section_name: Campaign
paragraph_text: Campaign
  
  According to the National Electoral Council (CNE), approximately 6,000 people ran for different popularly elected positions from 36 political parties. 285 deputies of the National Assembly, 24 governors, and 260 regional legislators were elected.
  
  This election was the first of its kind to be held in Guayana Esequiba, a disputed region between Venezuela and Guyana. Eight seats in the National Assembly were assigned to Essequibo. Oliver Rivas will be running in the region on behalf of the Great Patriotic Pole, despite him and other candidates being prohibited from campaigning there. The Guyanese government warned the inhabitants of Essequibo that participating in Venezuela’s elections could amount to treason, with the Chief of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Omar Khan saying that, beyond arrest, those voting in the election will face deportation. The CNE did not say how many of the Guyanese citizens will be eligible to vote in the election or how many ballot boxes will be transported to Essequibo. The International Court of Justice ruled that Venezuela is not allowed to hold elections in Essequibo, despite that, Nicolas Maduro said that they do not not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICJ and that it is illegal by international law for the court to “interfere” or “attempt to prohibit” an election.
  
  In May 2025, María Corina Machado, leader of the PUD, called upon the people to boycott the election by not voting and urged them not to "legitimize a fraudulent process". Despite this, other opposition leaders, like Henrique Capriles and Manuel Rosales, have chosen to participate in the elections. Coalitions that include more than 20 opposition parties and organizations, have called their voters to participate in the elections.
  
  On May 22, the PUD announced that it will not participate in the elections, in a statement, it said: "We firmly reiterate that we will not participate in the event scheduled for May 25. We will not engage in political, social, or electoral activism related to this event, nor will we promote any type of boycott". The Unitary Platform has faced an internal struggle since one of its leaders, Omar Barboza, left the party due to "lack of unity". Another leader of PUD, Andrés Velásquez of the Radical Cause party, said that the PUD has parties which have policies "contrary to the decision of the majority", arguing that parties like Un Nuevo Tiempo and Movimiento por Venezuela should be expelled from the coalition. On May 25, PUD expelled Un Nuevo Tiempo and Movimiento Por Venezuela from the coalition, stating that they had "broken with the common roadmap" by registering in the elections.
  
  On February 18, 2025, the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV) announced that it will not participate in the parliamentary or regional elections due to the lack of "electoral guarantees"; they accused the PSUV of rigging elections and declared that they will not participate in them as a protest. The Justice First party also announced on February 25 that they will not participate in the elections. Other parties, like Popular Will, also said that they will not participate, and that they will expel any member who runs without permission.