Mobilenews24x7 Bureau

Caracas, Jan 22 : The National Electoral Council of Venezuela has set January 26, Wednesday, as a date for collecting signatures in support of the premature termination of the powers of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

In 2020, Maduro announced his readiness to hold a referendum on his resignation in 2022 if supporters of the idea collect a sufficient number of signatures.

“A day for the acceptance of expressions of will in support of the recall referendum will take place on January 26 from 06:00 to 18:00,” the council wrote on Twitter.

The council stated the need to collect signatures of at least 20 per cent of voters in each region in order to hold the referendum. Otherwise, the process will be terminated. According to the Venezuelan constitution, only one petition for the premature termination of power can be submitted during the period for which a president was elected.

The office term of Maduro, who was elected president of Venezuela in 2019, expires in 2025. The constitution provides for the possibility of holding a referendum in the middle of the term.

Venezuela has been mired in a political crisis since early 2019 when Juan Guaido, former head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, proclaimed himself interim president in an attempt to oust re-elected Maduro.

Most Western countries, with the United States at the helm, endorsed Guaido and imposed crippling sanctions on Venezuela, targeting the country’s oil and financial industries. Russia, China, Turkey, and several other nations have supported Maduro.