Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Calls Russian Sputnik V Vaccine As Key To Organizing Elections

Nicolas Maduro (Twitter / @ NicolasMaduro)

JAKARTA - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said the Russian-made Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine could be the key to the success of the legislative elections in Venezuela. He proposed to 14,400 legislative candidates to be given the Sputnik V vaccine so that they could campaign safely.

"It is a good idea to give the Russian vaccine to the 14,400 candidates who have registered. It is very useful so that they can run their election campaign more comfortably," Maduro was quoted as saying by Reuters on Wednesday, September 9.

The idea was raised by Maduro because the government opposition had planned to boycott the vote on December 6. The boycott was carried out because the opposition felt the ruling Socialist Party had prepared fraudulent measures.

Even so, Maduro still doesn't want to postpone the election. Because, this month alone, a vaccine made in Russia has arrived for phase III clinical trials. Meanwhile, several vaccines from other COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers will arrive in October.

Previously, the COVID-19 vaccine made in Russia has produced a positive response in the first phase of the trial. Each volunteer who was given the vaccine had shown an increase in antibodies. Even so, according to the medical journal The Lancet, the Sputnik V vaccine is still needed long-term trials.

To reassure countries that need the Sputnik V vaccine as soon as possible, Kirill Dmitriev of Russia's sovereign wealth fund is confident that large-scale trials of Sputnik V are under way. The trial has already involved 40,000 volunteers and initial results are expected in October or November.