Venezuelan opposition leader Pérez Vivas files suit to declare Maduro absent and order elections

On 20 July, former Táchira governor César Pérez Vivas, together with lawyers Nelson Chitty La Roche and Óscar Arnal, lodged a popular action before the Constitutional Chamber of Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ). The filing asks the court to issue an urgent ruling on the “absolute lack” of President Nicolás Maduro, who has been outside the country since 3 January, and to compel the National Assembly to formally declare the vacancy and schedule presidential elections within 30 days, as required by Articles 233‑234 of the constitution.

Pérez Vivas argues that the Assembly has failed its constitutional duty, allowing a de‑facto government to persist. He urges the TSJ to intervene, declare the presidency vacant, and enforce the electoral timeline, citing a deepening institutional crisis exacerbated by recent seismic events in June.