Venezuela

Katarina Hall | 9.4.2024 3:30 PM

In a move as bizarre as it is calculated, Nicolás Maduro has officially rescheduled Christmas in Venezuela to October 1. While most of the world is waiting until December to celebrate the holiday, Maduro seems to think that an early dose of holiday spirit will magically cure his country's political turmoil.

"It is September and it already smells like Christmas," Maduro said on Monday during his television show More With Maduro. "And that is why this year, in homage to you, in gratitude to you, I am going to decree the advancement of Christmas to October 1."

While retailers like Target have been stealthily moving the Christmas season earlier and earlier to sell seasonal decor, Maduro's motives are a little less festive. He aims to distract the population from the political storm brewing around him.

Just hours before the announcement, the Venezuelan prosecutor's office ordered the arrest of Edmundo González, the opposition candidate recognized by many as the winner of July's presidential election.

Officially, Venezuela's........

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