VENEZUELA – Christmas will start next month in Venezuela, authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro has decreed – even as thousands of Venezuelans look set to pass the holidays behind bars amid his government’s crackdown on political unrest. “September smells like Christmas!” Maduro said in his weekly television show on Monday, to the apparent delight of his audience.

“This year and to honor you all, to thank you all, I am going to decree the beginning of Christmas on October 1. Christmas arrived for everyone, in peace, joy and security!” he said. Maduro’s decree – not the first of its kind, but the earliest – comes as Venezuela grapples with the fallout from July’s presidential election, which saw Maduro claim a third term despite global skepticism and outcry from the country’s opposition movement.

Just a few hours before Maduro’s announcement, Venezuelan authorities published an arrest warrant for his main rival, opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez, accusing him of “crimes associated with terrorism.” Gonzalez has failed to respond to three summons regarding an investigation into an opposition website that posted results from the contested vote, the Venezuela Prosecutor’s Office said.

Maduro has been under pressure at home and abroad since claiming victory. The opposition coalition backing Gonzalez insists the presidential vote was stolen, publishing online vote tally sheets, which experts say indicate Maduro actually lost the presidency by a significant margin. The US and other neighboring governments have demanded that Venezuelan authorities reveal granular voting data to verify the outcome. US authorities this week also announced the seizure of a Venezuelan plane used by Maduro for international travel. (CNN)…[+]