Venezuelans residing in Spain exercise their right to vote

The 46 polling stations set up by Venezuelan authorities in Spain opened normally on Sunday in five Spanish cities, where 24,770 voters are called to participate in the presidential elections between President Nicolás Maduro and the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) headed by Edmundo González Urrutia.

At the polling station with the largest number of Venezuelans registered, the one in Madrid, several dozen citizens gathered hours before the polling station opened its doors to be the first to vote and avoid possible queues under the scorching sun that is hitting the Spanish capital.

However, during the morning there were no queues in front of the Fernando de los Ríos Cultural Centre, which was set up by the Venezuelan authorities in Madrid to host the voting, and voters entered in an orderly fashion and cast their ballots without any problems.

Nevertheless, hundreds of people gathered in the vicinity throughout the morning, including volunteers, observers, representatives of the opposition residing in Spain and voters who, having exercised their right to vote, stayed in the area with family and friends, in a festive atmosphere.

“I came with my whole family, even though I’m the only one who can vote,” José, a Venezuelan citizen who has Spanish nationality and was able to register for the elections without any problem, told EFE.

The same did not happen to the four members of his family who accompanied him, who, despite residing legally in Spain, were unable to vote.

«They put many obstacles in the way of registration, so those of us who can vote have to do so for them as well.said Jose.

Of the more than 400,000 people born in Venezuela and of legal age residing in Spain, only 24,770 were able to register, a very low figure that, even so, represents a third of all Venezuelans eligible to vote abroad, since in other Latin American countries that host more Venezuelan emigrants than Spain there were even greater problems with registering.

Despite these difficulties, the atmosphere around the Madrid polling station was festive and hopeful during the first hours of election day, with groups of friends livening up the wait with music, people with Venezuelan flags, shouts of “freedom” and volunteers handing out water and offering information to anyone who needed it.

«Today is a historic day – said one voter to EFE – and it is probably our last chance for change. It is all very emotional. I am very excited. If everything goes well, soon we can all meet Venezuelans, those who are inside and those who are outside.«.

Opposition leaders such as former Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma also attended the polling station in Madrid. He expressed his conviction that the González Urrutia candidacy would win the elections and called on the Venezuelan authorities and the military to respect the mandate of the ballot box.