“September is coming, and I said: September, and it already smells like Christmas.” On Sept. 2, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro once again proclaimed an early beginning of the Christmas season, justifying his actions as “gratitude and tribute” to the Venezuelan people. Oct. 1 kicked off the merry season in Caracas, the country’s capital, with decorations, ornaments, lights, and Christmas trees.
This isn’t the first time Maduro has announced an untimely yule-tide in the midst of a rising political crisis — Venezuela’s presidential election in July declared Maduro the winner despite the opposition’s claims of foul play. The Venezuelan Supreme Court has supported Maduro’s rise to power, but the country’s electoral council has refused to disclose the detailed breakdown of the presidential vote tallies.
This year’s early Christmas decree exponentially increased suspicions among citizens and political analysts, as it came only a few hours after the government issued an arrest warrant for the opposition’s presidential candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez. Despite the murky circumstances in which Maduro has managed to remain in power, the president has officially and blissfully welcomed the jolly holiday, saying, “With this beautiful song, I say this now: Merry Christmas, in peace and happiness!”
