Maduro decrees Christmas will start in October as Venezuela cracks down on dissent

Source: CNN

Maduro decrees Christmas will start in October as Venezuela cracks down on dissent

By Stefano Pozzebon, CNN
3 minute read
Updated 1:17 AM EDT, Wed September 4, 2024

(CNN) — Christmas will start next month in Venezuela, authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro has decreed – even as thousands of Venezuelans look set to pass the holidays behind bars amid his government’s crackdown on political unrest.

“September smells like Christmas!” Maduro said in his weekly television show on Monday, to the apparent delight of his audience.

“This year and to honor you all, to thank you all, I am going to decree the beginning of Christmas on October 1. Christmas arrived for everyone, in peace, joy and security!” he said.

Maduro’s decree – not the first of its kind, but the earliest – comes as Venezuela grapples with the fallout from July’s presidential election, which saw Maduro claim a third term despite global skepticism and outcry from the country’s opposition movement.

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Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/09/03/americas/christmas-venezuela-october-maduro-intl-latam/index.html