On July 16th, Venezuelans will participate in what is commonly referred to as a huge act of civil disobedience, a plebiscite organized by the opposition in response to the political and economic crisis caused by President Nicolas Maduro, who preceded the late Hugo Chavez on 2013. The people will be asked three questions related to the new constitution proposed by Maduro, the National Constituent Assembly (ANB) and its power according to the 1999 Constitution, the role of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela (FANB) according to the 1999 Constitution and, finally, for free and transparent elections.

Since April 19th, anti-government protests have been held against Maduro’s dictatorship and have lasted for more than 100 days. But, it wasn’t until May 1st that Maduro announced that there will be a Constituent Assembly to reform the state and write a new constitution. Many opposition leaders have publicly shared their views, with ANB president Julio Borges stating that this assembly is the consummation of Maduro’s continuous coup d’etat to the Constitution, and politician Henrique Capriles calling it a constitutional fraud and adding that the government intends to formalize the dictatorship through the assembly.

The plebiscite by the opposition was then announced on July 3rd in response to the different government actions, and is scheduled for this Sunday, with Maduro referring to it as unconstitutional. Nonetheless, the plebiscite stands with articles 333 and 350 of the Constitution, which state that the constitution shall remain valid under any circumstance and that the Venezuelan population have the right to not recognize a government that denies their human rights, respectively. Thus, the plebiscite is a democratic right held by the Venezuelan population, as is their right to protest, to stand up for their rights.

I consider Maduro’s Constituent Assembly as a strengthening of the dictatorship through which Venezuela could become [an official] communist country, the private sector could be eliminated, freedom of speech and the press could become unconstitutional and through which Constitutional Liberties that are explicitly listed in the Constitution - such as the rights to life and freedom - could be deemed unconstitutional.

According to the opposition groups, there will be numerous polling places for the Venezuelan population that will not be limited to a national scope, with Venezuelan emigrants all over the world having the opportunity to cast their vote. It’s important to point out that in order to vote, a person must be at least 18 years old and present a form of Venezuelan I.D.; additionally, they don’t necessarily have to be registered in the National Electoral Council (CNE).

Considering that this article will be published a day after the plebiscite, I cannot encourage other Venezuelans to cast a vote this Sunday through this article. Nevertheless, as I plan to head to my nearest polling place to vote, I encourage you to protest and stand up for your democratic rights because this dictatorship has been going on 20 years too long.