Venezuela decides between continuity or change in tense elections

(AFP reports).- Venezuelans are voting Sunday in a tense presidential election to decide between the continuation of Chavez’s 25-year-old government or the change promised by a united and hopeful opposition.

Leftist Nicolás Maduro, 61, who has been president since 2013, said when voting on Sunday that “whatever the electoral referee says will be recognized, and not only recognized, but defended,” referring to the pro-government National Electoral Council.

“I recognize and will recognize the electoral referee, the official bulletins and I will ensure that they are respected,” he said after voting 20 minutes after the elections began, following the opening of the polls at 06:00 local time (10:00 GMT).

Maduro is seeking a third six-year term as the country emerges from an acute economic and humanitarian crisis that has shrunk the Gross Domestic Product by 80% in 10 years and forced more than seven million people to flee.

His rival is the diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia, 74 years old, until recently unknown, who represents the charismatic and popular opposition leader María Corina Machado, who is prevented from running due to a political disqualification.

Some 21 million people out of a population of 30 million are eligible to vote, but experts estimate that only about 17 million people who are in Venezuela and have not migrated will be able to vote. Voting is not compulsory.

“I hope there will be democracy,” Griselda Barroso, a 54-year-old lawyer, told AFP after arriving at her polling station two and a half hours before it opened.

“One would hope that someone would come and meet the needs of the people because there are many people in need,” said Eduardo Morillo, an 86-year-old retiree.

“There is a lot of expectation that this will change, that we can move forward,” said Ali Diaz, 30.

Long lines were already forming at polling stations before the start of the process, in some cities even from the night before.

“Peace or war”

“Peace or war,” Maduro said a few days ago, defining what he believes is at stake in this election. Shortly before, he had warned that a victory for the opposition could lead to a “bloodbath,” which earned him criticism from the presidents of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Chile, Gabriel Boric, among others.

González Urrutia called for a vote. This Sunday “will undoubtedly be the most important democratic expression of the people in recent years,” he said, and called on Venezuelans to vote “to transform their future.”

A delegation from the Carter Center and other observers are present at the elections, but the government has cancelled the invitation to a European Union mission and has prevented European parliamentarians and former Latin American presidents invited by the opposition from entering the country.

Maduro apologized for this on Saturday night.

US warning

The elections are also the result of an agreement between the government and the opposition promoted by the United States.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called from Tokyo to respect the “democratic process.” “The Venezuelan people deserve an election that truly reflects their will,” he said at a press conference.

To push for the election, Washington eased sanctions it imposed on the country in 2019 after refusing to accept Maduro’s re-election a year earlier over suspicions of fraud.

Maduro’s government blames the sanctions for the collapse of the economy of this oil-producing country, which has the largest reserves in the world and at its peak produced 3.5 million barrels a day, compared with about one million today.

The more than 30,000 polling stations will be open until 18:00 (22:00), although the voting period can be extended if necessary.

Most polls favor the opposition, but some observers warn that the gap between Maduro and González Urrutia could be narrow. Polls indicate that the higher the voter turnout, the greater the chances of the opposition winning.

“Counting the votes”

Both sides are confident of victory.

“Hatred, the desire for revenge and violence will not prevail over the power of love, the spiritual strength of a people who want tranquility, peace and a homeland,” Maduro said earlier in a video from the military barracks where the remains of his predecessor and political godfather Hugo Chavez rest, who would have turned 70 this Sunday.

Machado, meanwhile, said she was convinced that her candidate would win. “It’s not just because of the polls, it’s because I know what’s happening in Venezuela, I know what the people are feeling,” Machado told AFP three days before the election. “What we have to achieve is that the votes are counted.”

The electoral process is automated, with results centralized by the National Electoral Council. Its board is made up of five rectors, three linked to Chavismo and two to the opposition.