Voters in a very significant presidential election on Sunday included Nicolas Maduro, the longtime ruler of Venezuela, who will likely face one of his biggest political tests to date, according to commentators.
Before voting places in the nation's capital, Caracas, were scheduled to open at six in the morning ET, long lineups started to develop outside. Subsequently, leaders of the opposition claimed that as of Sunday afternoon, almost 9 million voters had cast ballots.
In Caracas, voters seemed upbeat. "[After] twenty-five years, I know that things may actually get better. Mariana Schemel, a voter, observed that many individuals were congregating to cast their ballots.
Others talked of wanting to support their nation, where a large number of Venezuelans had fled financial catastrophe. Voter Amelia Perez told CNN, "I'm doing this for my children and my grandchildren." One of her three boys resides in Washington, D.C. "I want my kids to stay here and I want him to return. My entire family has already departed.
After his predecessor Hugo Chavez passed away in 2013, Maduro assumed leadership of the dominant Chavismo organization. He is running for a third straight six-year term in government. His main rival among the nine other contenders for the president is a cohesive opposition movement that transcended differences to establish the Democratic Unitary Platform coalition.
The vote has occurred at a critical juncture for Venezuela, a nation that has just seen the greatest economic collapse of a peacetime nation and brutal repression under Maduro's leadership. The oil-rich country's economy, which was once the fifth-largest in Latin America, has shrunk to the size of a medium-sized city during the past ten years, according to IMF data.
The European Union and the United States have imposed punitive sanctions on the government, but they have not succeeded in toppling the incumbent demagogue, who claims that Venezuela is a victim of a "economic war."
Eight million Venezuelans have left their nation due to severe shortages of necessities and skyrocketing prices.
Others discussed casting their votes for their nation's future, as Venezuelans have been leaving the country's economic catastrophe. Voter Amelia Perez told CNN, "I'm doing this for my children and my grandchildren." One of her three boys resides in Washington, D.C. "I want my kids to stay here and I want him to return. My entire family has already departed.
"A figure of historic participation"
There have been growing worries that Maduro's administration, which controls all state institutions in Venezuela and has been accused of manipulating past elections—a charge it has refuted—won't allow the opposition to have a fair campaign. However, experts point out that the opposition party's planned presence at every polling place may allay worries about vote rigging.
Eight million Venezuelans have left their nation due to severe shortages of necessities and skyrocketing prices.
Others discussed casting their votes for their nation's future, as Venezuelans have been leaving the country's economic catastrophe. Voter Amelia Perez told CNN, "I'm doing this for my children and my grandchildren." One of her three boys resides in Washington, D.C. "I want my kids to stay here and I want him to return. My entire family has already departed.
"A figure of historic participation"
There have been growing worries that Maduro's administration, which controls all state institutions in Venezuela and has been accused of manipulating past elections—a charge it has refuted—won't allow the opposition to have a fair campaign. However, experts point out that the opposition party's planned presence at every polling place may allay worries about vote rigging.
The opposition alliance claimed to have discovered several small anomalies on Sunday, although voting seemed to go over without a hitch in most of the nation.
Over 21 million individuals, both domestically and internationally, are registered to vote. By Sunday afternoon, Machado claimed a 41% voter turnout, or over 9 million voters.
"This is quite significant. If this keeps up, the participation rate will be historically high," Machado stated in a declaration made public on Sunday afternoon. "The most significant civic act in our history is what you are witnessing."
The National Electoral Council (CNE), the election authority, stated in a statement on Sunday that there is no dress restriction for polling places and that all voters only need to present their identity card to be able to cast a ballot.
However, a 55-year-old voter in Caracas informed CNN that troops had denied him entry to a voting place because he was wearing cargo shorts. Henrique Mendoza claimed that the soldiers guarding the facility would not let him in because of his attire after he had been waiting in line for several hours.
Maduro asked people to accept the election results as he cast his ballot in the capital at six in the morning. González, his principal rival, declared that the opposition alliance is "going to wait for the National Electoral Council findings, but, we also have our procedures and systems to monitor the status of the current election process.
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