Christmas is coming early in Venezuela this year — by presidential decree. During his weekly television show, the country’s authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro announced Christmas will start on Oct. 1.
The move comes as the country continues to grapple with the fallout from July’s election, in which Maduro won a third term amid global skepticism and push back from the opposition party, which maintains the vote was stolen.
Just hours before the Christmas announcement, an arrest warrant was issued for opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González.
More than 2,000 people are also expected to spend “Christmas” behind bars after they were arrested by Maduro’s regime for protesting in the wake of the election.
Maduro’s decree is not the first of its kind — but it is the earliest. In Venezuela, Christmas is a beloved holiday. Festivities often begin days or weeks before Christmas Eve with large groups of families and friends gathering.
