Voters in Venezuela are participating in a presidential election that could either result in a dramatic change in political direction or prolong by six years the policies that brought about the greatest economic collapse in history during a period of peace.
The results of Sunday’s election will have repercussions across the Americas, regardless of the winner—former diplomat Edmundo González or President Nicolás Maduro. This is due to the fact that both supporters and detractors of the regime have expressed a desire to leave Venezuela should Maduro win the election.
Over 7.7 million individuals have already departed the nation. Voting is possible for an estimated 17 million Venezuelans.
González was chosen in April to replace opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who was obstructed by the Supreme Tribunal of Justice under Maduro’s control, and is currently standing in for a coalition of opposition parties. The opposition parties have finally come together in support of one candidate.
Although polls didn’t open until six in the morning, voters began lined up at various polling places across the nation much earlier, sharing cookies, coffee, and water for several hours.
Venezuela’s CARACASAt a school in the Colombian capital of Bogotá, where over 4,300 people were registered to vote, Venezuelans cast their ballots on Sunday. Participants in a neighboring park yelled for “freedom” while waving flags together.
Similar emotion was observed in the northern port city of Barranquilla, where 387 Venezuelans were registered. Pilín León, the president of a local Venezuelan association, informed the media that the vote process went “quite smoothly.”
Holding flags in their hands and singing the national anthem, a number of Venezuelans visited the embassy in Lima, Peru, to cast their ballots. There were 659 registered voters in the area.
Nonetheless, Venezuelan nationals are unable to vote in nations such as Ecuador. Following the police raid on the Venezuelan embassy in April, Nicolás Maduro issued an order for the mission to close in support of Mexico.
Several Venezuelans, on the other hand, made the decision to go to a religious service held in a church in Quito, the nation’s capital. Venezuelans gathered in a park in the southern city of Cuenca, chanting for “freedom” and “democracy” in their native country.
— Gabriela Molina The Minister of Defense claims there is no violence or incident at the polling places.
Venezuela’s CARACASChief General Vladimir Padrino López, the Minister of Defense, declared that “no incident worth mentioning has occurred” during the first six hours of voting. The day had gone by peacefully.
The head of the armed forces of Venezuela urged people not to post remarks regarding reported violent incidents near polling places, stating that “information on social media is not always reliable.”
Edmundo González, the unifying opposition candidate, expressed his confidence that the Venezuelan Armed Forces “will respect the will of the people.” Nicolás Maduro’s main ally is the military, which is in control of the elections’ security and logistics.
Critics of the president have attempted in vain to seek the military’s assistance in order to get Maduro to resign, claiming that he was unfairly re-elected in 2018.
Prominent military leaders, like as the Defense Minister, have publicly affirmed their allegiance to Maduro. For many, after 25 years of self-declared socialist governments, the military would stand to lose a great deal if there was a political shift in Venezuela. González remarks following his vote.
Venezuela’s CARACASEdmundo González, the opposition candidate, expressed his happiness with the large number of Venezuelans who had gathered at polling places since late Saturday night and early Sunday morning.
Venezuelans are proving that we are one people today more than ever. We perceive hopeful and joyful lines. Shortly after casting his ballot, González, surrounded by journalists, declared, “Today begins a day of reconciliation for all Venezuelans.”
The former diplomat continued, “Venezuelans’ democratic spirit is more alive than ever; change is needed.” Gonzalez pledged, should he win, to establish the means for the approximately 8 million Venezuelans who have fled worsening hardships to return home.
He declared, “We do not want more Venezuelans to leave the country, and for those who have already left, I assure them that we will do everything within our power to have them return and be welcomed with open arms.””We are inspired by your strength and dedication, Venezuelans everywhere. “We are a single people seeking freedom,” he continued.
— Jorge Rueda According to the late president’s daughter, Chavez would support Maduro if he were still alive.
Venezuela’s CARACAS One of the late president’s daughters, Maria Gabriela Chavez, made remarks as she cast her vote in a classroom as Chavez’s picture was painted on the wall, keeping an eye on her.
She mentioned the advice her father, if he were still living today, would have probably given: “Tenemos que ganar.”
On what would have been Chavez’s 70th birthday—he passed away from cancer in 2013—voting takes place on Sunday.
Chavez stated that she supported the choice, which aims to increase respect for her father’s memory and provide Maduro—his chosen political heir—a potential advantage in a close contest.
“Medicine shortages a factor in Venezuelans’ vote preference,” Chávez said, adding that she still intended to lay a wreath at her father’s tomb at a hilltop army fort later on Sunday.
Venezuela’s CARACASAfter her sister passed away in 2019, Judy Oropeza claims she swore she would never again cast a ballot for the government that had long hired her as a teacher.
At the height of the country’s economic crisis, Oropeza’s sister was unable to obtain the medication she required to treat her hypertension because of extensive shortages.
Because her meager earnings were insufficient to support her and her kid, Oropeza traveled to Colombia in search of employment. “I practically came home to bury her,” she remarked, fighting back tears.
She says things have changed as she sits calmly on a bench in the famous Plaza Bolivar in Caracas today.
However, she left her beloved career to avoid starvation, and she still needs to budget every penny of her $160 monthly wage from the private sector.She remarks, “There’s peace now,” when a street sweeper clears the marble floor of the fallen leaves. However, some wounds never fully heal. For this reason, I support change.
— Joshua Goodman The Maduro campaign chief claims that “well-oiled” is our machine.
Venezuela’s CARACAS Vital to Maduro’s prospects The power of the ruling party to organize its supporters is strongest on Sunday.
One tactic, called 1 x 10, invites each supporter of Maduro to enlist 10 friends and family members.
“Our machine is well-oiled,” Maduro campaign leader Jorge Rodríguez responded when asked about their attempts to increase turnout on Sunday.
Goodman Joshua Honoring Hugo Chavez’s birthday!
Venezuela’s CARACASAuthorities scheduled Sunday’s election to take place on the day the former president would have turned 70. This was a last-ditch attempt by the ruling socialist party to obtain an advantage in the closely contested race.
Maduro became the president’s successor when the acclaimed communist firebrand and former president passed away from cancer in 2013.
Chavez’s remains are kept in a mausoleum in a poor hillside area, and fans celebrated his birthday by sharing a cake on January 23.
Goodman Joshua Almost all polling places in Venezuela are open.
Ninety-five percent of voting locations in Venezuela are open, according to Elvis Amoroso, President of the National Electoral Council.
For the election, 30,026 voting machines were installed by the council.
Amoroso declared on Sunday that he had a “clear conscience” about the work he and the other electoral officials were doing.
According to him, all poll workers were present at voting locations from the moment they opened at six in the morning.
Jorge Rueda Voters are seeking reform.
Venezuela’s CARACAS Voters waited hours before polls opened in the working-class Petare neighborhood on Caracas’ east side to cast their ballots.
52-year-old domestic servant Judith Cantilla declared, “In the name of God, everything is going to turn out okay. Everyone will adopt their own stance and, well, bring about change for Venezuela.
She claimed that because everyone was worn out, Venezuela needed more jobs, security, medical care in hospitals, and higher wages for physicians and teachers.
Liana Ibarra, a manicurist in the greater Caracas area, discovered that there were at least 150 people ahead of her when she arrived at 3 a.m. on Sunday.
Ibarra, 35, claimed that around two in the morning, her aunt sent her a letter from the United States asking if she was already in line.
Ibarra, who had her rucksack full of water, coffee, and cassava snacks next to her, claimed that people were no longer as apathetic regarding elections as they once were.
The eleven siblings of her mother have all moved. She claimed that because her 5-year-old kid had special needs, she has not followed them. In the event that González is unsuccessful, she intends to approach her family members for support in obtaining legal immigration status for herself and her kid.
She remarked, “We can no longer stand it.”
Representatives of the Regina García Cano Party and Fabiola Sánchez were prevented from monitoring at the voting center.
Venezuela’s CARACAS More than an hour after polls were scheduled to open, at least eight party representatives accredited by the National Electoral Council to oversee operations at the nation’s largest voting center in the capital Caracas were being refused entry.
As the delegates presented their printed certificates, which were supposed to grant them entry, police officers formed an arm’s length around the door.
The Unitary Platform’s chief party delegate, Marisol Contreras, 58, claimed that when she arrived at 4 a.m., she was told she couldn’t enter the elementary school.
Standing at the door were government representatives who informed them that all required staff was already inside.
The coordinator of the polling center, Marlyn Hernandez, stated that she was unsure of the reason behind the authorized representatives’ exclusion from the school, where over 11,000 individuals have registered to vote. Ninety minutes later, the center opened. Maduro declares that he will accept the results as announced.
Venezuela’s CARACAS Nicolás Maduro, the president in office, has declared that he will accept the outcome of the presidential election and has asked the other contenders to do the same.
Following Sunday’s vote, Maduro declared, “No one is going to create chaos in Venezuela.” “I acknowledge and will acknowledge the electoral referee, the official announcements,” he declared, adding that he would see to it that the outcome was accepted.
“To respect, to make respected and to declare publicly that they will respect the official announcement” of the winner, he urged the other nine contenders. Blinken demands that Venezuela hold free and fair elections.
Japan’s TOKYO Venezuelans should have an election “that genuinely reflects their will, free from manipulation,” according to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Blinken urged all parties to “honor their commitments and respect democratic process” while saying that the United States will not influence the election’s outcome and that the world community will be “watching closely” at a press conference on Sunday in Tokyo.
Venezuelans are displaying “enormous enthusiasm” for the election, according to Blinken, while enduring tremendous repression.
Even though Maduro and his representatives have broken many of their promises, he claimed that the United States and the international community have supported the Barbados electoral roadmap deal to restore political liberties in Venezuela. Candidate opposition teasing at the polling place
Venezuela’s CARACAS “Get out! Get out!” was yelled by opposition supporters as they welcomed presidential contender Daniel Ceballos. Leave now! Traitor!” as he showed up at a downtown Caracas school to cast his ballot.
Less than a year after his election, in 2014, Ceballos led anti-Maduro protests demanding the president’s resignation. He was sent in jail because of what he did.
Years later, upon his release from prison, Ceballos lost some of his edge. Most recently, he shocked both allies and adversaries by declaring his intention to challenge Maduro, using language that was disparaging of the main opposition alliance, which views him as a sell-out and a scapegoat for Maduro’s attempts to hold onto power.
Goodman Joshua Some voters continue to support Maduro.
In Petare, a working-class area of Caracas, Clarisa Machado cast her ballot in favor of Maduro.
The 74-year-old sociologist was optimistic that the government’s years of crisis-related experience will improve the quality of life for Venezuelans and better prepare it to handle future challenging circumstances.
“When they knock us down, we Venezuelans get back up and that serves as experience to not fall again,” the woman remarked.
