Venezuela's main opposition leader said Tuesday that President Nicolas Maduro had "chosen" his poll rivals after key contenders were blocked from running in the July presidential election.
The coalition of popular opposition figure Maria Corina Machado, who has been banned from holding public office, was unable to register its proxy candidate by the time a deadline expired at midnight on Monday.
"What we warned about for many months ended up happening: the regime chose its candidates," Machado told a press conference.
She avoided endorsing opposition figure Manuel Rosales, who did manage to file his candidacy and is seen as a more palatable figure for Maduro's socialist government.
Machado insisted that her chosen candidate was the 80-year-old university professor Corina Yoris, who was put forward as her stand-in.
While Machado overwhelmingly won an opposition primary last year, courts loyal to Maduro banned her from holding public office for 15 years on charges of corruption widely dismissed as spurious, and for supporting Western sanctions against the government.
Maduro has faced criticism from the international community for interference in the election, after his government and the opposition sealed a deal in Barbados last year to hold a free and fair vote with international observers present.
"The regime took off its mask and exposed itself with its accomplices to close this electoral route," said Machado.
However, she said she remained hopeful, adding "there is still time" for her Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) opposition coalition to field a presidential aspirant, as candidacies can be modified until April 20.
"It would depend on the will of the regime," she said.
Rosales' Un Nuevo Tiempo (UNT) party -- which is part of the coalition backing Yoris -- said in a statement that he registered as a candidate because "the opposition forces were on their way to being left out of the electoral race" and "abstention is not an option."
Maduro, 61, meanwhile formalized his own run for the presidency with great fanfare on Monday, with thousands turning out to rally behind him and the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela.
"I was moved by so much generosity and recognition on the part of the people for this humble man from the neighborhoods of Caracas, this humble worker," said Maduro, carrying an illustration of his mentor, the revolutionary leader Hugo Chavez.
The former bus driver is seeking to extend his turbulent time in power with a third six-year term, amid rising concerns over his slide into authoritarianism and crackdown on the opposition.
Several other candidates presenting themselves as opposition figures also registered, but most are considered aligned with Maduro's government.
The final list of presidential candidates will be published at the end of April.
Many countries refused to recognize the results of Maduro's last election in 2018, alleging fraud and a lack of transparency, and instead recognized parliamentary speaker Juan Guaido as the country's legitimate leader.
Six years later Maduro is still firmly in charge of the oil-rich nation after his rival's government collapsed and the war in Ukraine choked energy supplies and shifted global priorities.
