Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro declared the Christmas season would be moved up to October as he tries to turn people’s attention away from the contested presidential election that has roiled the country. 

He declared that he would issue a decree to move Christmas to October 1.

In his weekly television show on September 2, President Maduro said „It’s September, and it already smells like Christmas.”

„That’s why this year, as a way of paying tribute to you all, and in gratitude to you all, I’m going to decree an early Christmas for October 1.”

Nicolas Maduro’s decision is seen as a move to distract people from the turmoil that has engulfed Venezuela following July’s contested presidential election.

Christmas is big in Catholic-majority Venezuela and people were not happy at the idea of celebrating a holiday season amid turmoil in the country.

This is not the first time Nicolas Maduro, 61, has moved up Christmas to an earlier date. He also did so during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Opposition parties continue to protest the electoral outcome of July’s election saying that Nicolas Maduro is illegally clinging on to power.

They accuse him of widespread cronyism and corruption which has brought Venezuela’s economy to its knees.

A widespread crackdown on opposition has fueled more concerns about the state of the country.

More than 2,400 have been imprisoned so far, according to news agency AFP, with journalists, politicians and aid workers among those jailed.

The US, EU and several Latin American countries say the results are fraudulent and that opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez is the real winner.