With the submission deadline for the Venezuela elections on March 25 fast approaching, the still-disqualified Maria Corina Machado has finally named her replacement to take on dictator President Nicolas Maduro in July, and she picked a college professor named Corina Yoris Villasana.

Machado has been forced to step down as the united opposition's candidate even though she won last year's opposition primary with a landslide of over 90% of the votes. This is because the Maduro-aligned Supreme Court has declared her ineligible to run due to various "crimes" that she is accused of. Foreign observers say this ban was more political than criminal, with various polls hinting that she might beat Maduro in July.

Reuters noted that Machado was pressured by various opposition leaders to pick a replacement after her disqualification was upheld. This disqualification also resulted in the US reinstating the sanctions it previously lifted as Venezuela broke its promise to allow all candidates to run, even the ones that were previously disqualified.

"We have found a person who has my complete confidence ... who will see this process through with everyone's support and trust," she said when naming Yoris as her successor. She added that she will continue fighting her disqualification even though she cannot run during this election.

Yoris herself spoke and showed her support for Machado's battle to be able to run for public office again. "So, thank you very much, especially for the trust that I see has been placed not only in me but in the words and actions of María Corina," the new united opposition candidate stated. "We will continue fighting for her to achieve her authorization" to run in the election.

READ MORE: Venezuela Elections: Nicolas Maduro Regime Arrests Opponent Maria Corina Machado's Staffers

Who Is New Venezuela Opposition Candidate Corina Yoris?

While Corina Yoris Villasana will be running for the highest political position in Venezuela, she has never held any public office in her entire life, as she has mostly worked as a college professor of history. While she is a relative unknown to many, she does have one requirement that Machado does not, and that is she is not disqualified, as Machado herself noted.

The 80-year-old college professor will be facing a tall task ahead of her, as she must unite Venezuela's fractured opposition, according to the Associated Press. Experts believe that Yoris was chosen as many of the other more popular and well-known candidates have already been disqualified by the Maduro regime.

Venezuela Government Targeting Opposition Members With Conspiracies

Machado naming her replacement came after the Maduro regime issued warrants for the arrests of her staffers, including her campaign manager, over an alleged plot to assassinate the Venezuelan autocrat.

Venezuela Attorney General Tarek William Saab claimed that these plots were "aimed at attacking military installations, killing Maduro and other officials and destabilizing the country." He also presented a confession from a captured Machado staffer. However, the staffer's own lawyer has stated that the confession may have been made under duress and that he did not have any legal representation at the time of the confession.

READ MORE: Venezuela Starts a New Feud, This Time Against the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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