Venezuelans are voting in a presidential election whose outcome will either lead to a seismic shift in politics or extend by six more years the policies that caused the world’s worst peacetime economic collapse.
Whether it is President Nicolás Maduro who is chosen or his main opponent, former diplomat Edmundo González, Sunday’s election will have ripple effects throughout the Americas. That’s because government opponents and supporters alike have signaled their interest in emigrating if Maduro wins the election.
More than 7.7 million people have already left the country. An estimated 17 million Venezuelans are eligible to vote.
González is representing a coalition of opposition parties after being selected in April as a stand-in for opposition powerhouse Maria Corina Machado, who was blocked by the Maduro-controlled Supreme Tribunal of Justice. For once, the opposition factions have managed to unite behind a single candidate.
Polls opened at 6 a.m., but voters started lining up at some voting centers across the country much earlier, sharing water, coffee and snacks for several hours.
Here’s the latest:
No violence or incidents at voting sites says the Minister of Defense
CARACAS, Venezuela —Minister of Defense, Chief General Vladimir Padrino López, said during the first six hours of voting, “no incident worth mentioning has occurred. The day has passed in peace.
”The military chief asked Venezuelans not to share comments about alleged acts of violence in the surroundings of voting centers, saying that, “what appears on social media is not always true.
”The unitary opposition candidate, Edmundo González says that he trusts that the Venezuelan Armed Forces “will respect the will of the people”. The military, in charge of logistics and security of the elections, is one of the main supporters of President Nicolás Maduro.
The president’s opponents have tried to unsuccessfully enlist the support of the military to force Maduro to step down from power, arguing that he was re-elected in 2018 in fraudulent elections.
Senior military commanders, including the Minister of Defense, publicly expressed their support and loyalty to Maduro. For many, the military would have much to lose if there was a political change in Venezuela after 25 years of self-proclaimed socialist governments.
González comments after casting his vote
CARACAS, Venezuela —The opposition candidate Edmundo González expressed his satisfaction with the massive presence of Venezuelans lined up since late Saturday night and Sunday morning at voting centers.
“Today more than ever Venezuelans are demonstrating that we are one people. What we see are lines of joy and hope. Today begins a day of reconciliation for all Venezuelans,” said González, surrounded by journalists, shortly after casting his vote.
“The democratic spirit of Venezuelans is more alive than ever, it’s time for change,” added the ex-diplomat. If victorious, Gonzalez promised to create conditions for the almost 8 million Venezuelans to return to their home country after fleeing compounding crises.
“We do not want more Venezuelans leaving the country, and for those who have left I tell them we will do everything possible for them to come back and welcome them with open arms,” he said.“To all the Venezuelans around the world, your strength and commitment encourages us. We are one people in search of freedom,” he added.– Jorge Rueda
If Chavez were alive, he’d vote for Maduro, says the late president’s daughter
CARACAS, Venezuela — Maria Gabriela Chavez, one of the late president’s daughters, commented as she cast her ballot in a school classroom under the watchful gaze of Chavez’s face painted on the wall.
“Tenemos que ganar,” she told AP of the advice her father would likely have given had he been alive today.
Sunday’s vote is being held on what would’ve been the 70th birthday of Chavez, who died in 2013 of cancer.
Chavez said she agreed with the decision, which seeks to stir admiration for her father’s legacy and give Maduro, his handpicked political heir, a possible boost in a tight race.
“Siempre mezclamos la familia con polĂtica,” said Chávez, who nonetheless plans to lay a wreath at her father’s tomb in a hilltop army fort later Sunday
Medicine shortages a factor in Venezuelans’ vote preference
CARACAS, Venezuela —Judy Oropeza says when her sister died in 2019 she vowed never again to vote for the government that long employed her as a school teacher.
It was the nadir of Venezuela’s economic crisis and due to widespread shortages, Oropeza’s sister couldn’t find the medicine she needed to treat hypertension.
Oropeza was in Colombia trying to find work because her miserly wages weren’t enough to feed her and her son. “I came home to bury her practically,” she said, holding back tears.
Today, sitting quietly on a bench in Caracas’ iconic Plaza Bolivar, she acknowledges things have improved.
But she abandoned the profession she loved to escape hunger and still has to watch every penny of her $160 month in salary in the private sector.“There’s peace now,” she says as a street sweeper collects the fallen leaves from the marble floor. “But there’s wounds that never heal. That’s why I vote for change.”
— Joshua Goodman
Our machine is “well-oiled”, says Maduro campaign chief
CARACAS, Venezuela — Key to Maduro’s chances Sunday is the strength of the ruling party’s ability to mobilize its base.
One strategy, known as 1 x 10, asks each Maduro supporter to recruit 10 of their friends and family members.
Asked Sunday about those efforts to boost turnout, Maduro campaign chief Jorge RodrĂguez said “our machine is well-oiled.”
–Joshua Goodman
Happy Birthday Hugo Chavez!
CARACAS, Venezuela —Authorities set Sunday’s election to coincide with what would have been the 70th birthday of the former president—one last effort by the ruling socialist party to gain an edge in the hard-fought electoral battle.
The former president and revered leftist firebrand died of cancer in 2013, leaving Maduro as his political heir.
In the January 23 poor hillside neighborhood where a mausoleum holds Chavez’s remains, supporters shared a cake celebrating the birthday.
–Joshua Goodman
Nearly all voting centers open across Venezuela
The President of Venezuela’s National Electoral Council Elvis Amoroso says that 95% of of voting centers across the country are open.
The council set up 30,026 voting machines for the election.
Amoroso said Sunday he and other electoral authorities had a “clear conscience” about the work they were carrying out.
He said 100% of polling place workers were present at voting centers from the time they opened at 6 a.m.
–Jorge Rueda
Voters look for change
CARACAS, Venezuela — In the working-class Petare neighborhood on the east side of Caracas, people lined up to vote hours before polls opened.
Judith Cantilla, a 52-year-old domestic worker said, “In the name of God, everything is going to turn out alright. Each person is going take their position and well, (it’s time for) change for Venezuela.”
She said the people were tired and that change for Venezuela is for more jobs, security, medicine in hospitals and better pay for teachers and doctor…
