Chavismo gathers a crowd in Caracas for the closing of Nicolás Maduro’s campaign

Caracas, Jul 25 (EFE).- Thousands of Chavistas marched on several avenues in Caracas on Thursday, in the closing ceremony of the campaign of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who will seek a second re-election this Sunday, when he will face nine candidates, including the standard-bearer of the majority opposition, Edmundo González Urrutia.

Coming from various regions of the country, Maduro supporters filled several areas of the Venezuelan capital early in the morning, before marching towards Bolívar Avenue, the wide road traditionally used by Chavismo for its closing campaigns and to show strength.

Throughout the day, the state-run channel Venezolana de Televisión broadcast hours of images and interviews with the protesters, which were full of praise for Maduro, in power since 2013.

Supporters of Venezuelan President and candidate for reelection, Nicolás Maduro, attend the closing of his campaign this Thursday, in Caracas (Venezuela). EFE/ Henry Chirinos

The activity, called “the taking of Caracas,” had been announced on Saturday by his campaign command, which spoke of 12 hours of mobilizations and demonstrations in favor of the “gallo pinto,” which are still ongoing, as Maduro has called himself in this campaign.

EFE confirmed the presence and mobilization of hundreds of Chavistas in the east of the city, an area considered a stronghold of the main opposition coalition, the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), which is also holding a closing ceremony in Caracas today.

At the beginning of his speech, Maduro said he was “very excited and very happy” to have filled several avenues of the city “from end to end.”

The president, who traveled to dozens of places during the 21 days of campaigning, said that today he completed “a pilgrimage” through the country, which he undertook in “the search for the truth” and found the “faith” of citizens in Venezuela, which went through a severe crisis for almost 8 years, from which it began to recover slightly in 2021.

“You are my example and have been my inspiration and my strength to face everything (…), we have faced the worst aggression in history and today the people are standing, victorious and ready for the great victory of July 28,” said the Chavista leader to the crowd.

Supporters of Venezuelan President and candidate for reelection, Nicolás Maduro, attend the closing of his campaign this Thursday, in Caracas (Venezuela). EFE/ Henry Chirinos

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