There was hope that Venezuela’s election would end in dispute but that wasn’t the case
Maduro’s Unpopularity — The First 70 Years of Socialism and the Violent Victory of Hugo Chavez
Authorities set Sunday’s election to coincide with what would have been the 70th birthday of former President Hugo Chávez, the revered leftist firebrand who died of cancer in 2013, leaving his Bolivarian revolution in the hands of Maduro. But Maduro and his United Socialist Party of Venezuela are more unpopular than ever among many voters who blame his policies for crushing wages, spurring hunger, crippling the oil industry and separating families due to migration.
Edmundo Gonzlez, a retired diplomat who was known to no one before being tapped as a last-minute stand-in for opposition powerhouse Maria Corina Matadero, was the toughest opponent Nicols had faced to date in his third term bid.
This election has posed one of Maduro’s greatest challenges. The authorities did not recognize Mara Corina Machado as a winner of the January primaries, and the Supreme Court blocked her from running for president. Edmundo Gonzlez is a little-known diplomat who was eventually named the opposition’s candidate.
Venezuela’s election is a turning point for the Americas. Despite high turnout, there were numerous reports of voting irregularities, voter intimidation and problems at voting centers. Nevertheless, with 80 percent of the votes counted, the nation’s electoral council declared Mr. Maduro the winner with 51.2 percent of the vote compared with 44.2 percent for his main rival. Because officials at many voting centers refused to hand over paper copies of the vote tallies, the opposition had no immediate way to concretely point to a different outcome.
Venezuela sits atop the world’s largest proven oil reserves, and once boasted Latin America’s most advanced economy. It was plunged into a free fall after its leader took the helm. Plummeting oil prices, widespread shortages and hyperinflation that soared past 130,000% led first to social unrest and then mass emigration.
The crisis only got worse after the US and dozens of other countries imposed economic sanctions against the South American dictatorship, for which they condemned as illegitimate.
One of the main issues in this year’s election is economic security, and that is represented by stories about entrepreneurship and a stable currency exchange. The economy will grow 4% this year, one of the fastest in Latin America, after having shrunk from 2012 to 2020.
Most of the people of Venezuela have not seen an improvement to their quality of life. Many people who earn less than $200 a month have trouble making ends meet. Some work second and third jobs. The basket of basic stapled can be used to feed a family of four for a month.
The election will have ripple effects throughout the Americas, with government opponents and supporters alike signaling their interest in joining the exodus of 7.7 million Venezuelans who have already left their homes for opportunities abroad should Maduro win another six year term.
“The ballot boxes express what the streets said during these past few months of campaigning,” Maduro’s son, lawmaker Nicolas Maduro Guerra, said on X as night fell on the capital. “Victory for the Venezuelan people.”
President Barack Obama’s Vice President,Kamala Harris, offered her support. “The United States stands with the people of Venezuela who expressed their voice in today’s historic presidential election.,” Harris wrote on X. “The will of the Venezuelan people must be respected.”
Machado was careful not to claim victory before authorities announce results but said she had already received copies of some official voting tallies and they indicated a record turnout — exactly what the opposition needed to overcome Maduro’s well-greased electoral machine.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelans waited anxiously for the results of Sunday’s presidential election that could pave the way to an end to 25 years of single party rule, even as some polls remained open more than three hours after a deadline to close.
“I’m so happy,” said Merling Fernández, a 31-year-old bank employee, as a representative for the opposition campaign walked out of one voting center in a working class neighborhood of Caracas to announce results showing González more than doubled Maduro’s vote count. Dozens standing nearby erupted in an impromptu rendition of the national anthem.
“We do not want more Venezuelans leaving, and to those who have left I say that we will do everything possible to get them back here, and we will welcome them with open arms,” González said Sunday.
In contrast, the rallies of González and Machado prompted people to cry and chant ” Freedom! Freedom! ” as the duo passed by. The Catholics went through military checkpoint to reach their events where they handed the rosaries. Others video-called their relatives who have migrated to let them catch a glimpse of the candidates.
Maduro’s campaign rallies featured lively electronic merengue dancing as well as speeches attacking his opponents. After he made a comment about a “bloodbath” should he lose, he recoiled. The son of a ruling party leader told the Spanish newspaper that if the party loses the presidency would be handed over peacefully.
Both campaigns have distinguished themselves by addressing voters’ fears and hopes, both as a political movement and as a way of addressing voters’ hopes and fears.
The Camino de la Constituci’on de Venezuela [Venezuela Presidential Election Maduro Gonzlez]
Most of those who migrated from Venezuela settled in Latin America and the Caribbean. In recent years, many began setting their sights on the U.S.
“What we see today are lines of joy and hope,” González, 74, told reporters. We will change our opinion of one another for love. We will change poverty for progress. We will change corruption because of honesty. We will change goodbyes for reunions.”
Gonzlez called on the armed forces to respect the will of the people after voting at a church poll site in an upper-class neighborhood.
The campaign of Gonzalez and Machado was focused on Venezuela’s vast hinterland, where the economic activity in recent years hadn’t materialized. They promised that the government would create enough jobs to make it easier for people to come back to Venezuela.
The opposition tried to take advantage of the huge inequalities arising from the crisis when Venezuela abandoned their country’s currency for the U.S. dollar.
Venezuelan President Enrique Maduro’s campaign against anti-Democracy in the Context of Sociedad, Inequality and Instability
She will ask her relatives living in the US to sponsor her and her son’s application to legally emigrate if Gonzlez loses. “We can’t take it anymore,” she said.
Elsewhere, Liana Ibarra, a manicurist in greater Caracas, got in line at 3 a.m. Sunday with her water, coffee and cassava snack-laden backpack only to find at least 150 people ahead of her.
“For me, change in Venezuela (is) that there are jobs, that there’s security, there’s medicine in the hospitals, good pay for the teachers, for the doctors,” she said, casting her ballot in the working-class Petare neighborhood of Caracas.
It’s not a universally grim picture. Democracy is succeeding in Brazil, Canada and the United States. But it is being tested as the opposition to pluralism and inclusion grows, and social unrest and dissatisfaction with the government spreads against a backdrop of stark inequality and institutional instability.
Even though she has been barred from air travel, the candidate herself often appeared as well, with large crowds in even the smallest towns to garner excitement for the campaign.
The government blocked off key roads, as well as detaining restaurant owners who served her team. There were also plans for rallies at the same time and place. Dozens of activists have been arrested in recent months. He was always able to arrive via vehicle, bike or foot to greet the crowds. people stretched their arms out, screaming for help
On the other side, Machado has coined the slogan “Volver a Casa,” which means “return home,” referencing a collective desire in the growing diaspora. The young man wore a shirt with this slogan to the local opposition rally in the neighborhood of La Vega. “I’ve lived with my brother since I was 14,” she explained, tearing up. “Our parents had to leave for Colombia, to take care of us.”
If change doesn’t happen now, there will be people that will leave.
Following numerous negotiations, Maduro’s government promised “fair and free elections.” But his critics said that last-minute rule changes and a confusing ballot undermined how “fair” they would actually be. Posters and billboards had his picture on them all over the country. The main opposition candidate, González, enjoyed no such publicity. Lesser-known opposition candidates were granted some access to such marketing.
Maryelis Bolvar de Flores held up her sign and said she loved her president. He’s the only president who cares about us — the people, the poor, hardworking people.”
Venezuela had been in air for Election Day, but it ended in dispute and uncertainty: Investigating the incident at a school in Caracas
At both rallies, the crowds joined their candidates in singing the national anthem — a sight that signaled that, on Election Day, people would vote for their country.
The voting process was aided by National Electoral Council officials and local electoral overseers. Many were on high alert because of the stakes. Various local news sources and citizen journalists recorded irregularities and intimidation tactics in voting centers across the country. 15 men in black jackets attempted to block access to the voting center at a school in Venezuela, The New York Times reported.
Rosa Cova, 60 years old and recovering from surgery, told NPR after casting her ballot in the Catia neighborhood of Caracas, “This is our last chance to get out of this mess.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the votes must be “counted fairly and transparently” and that “the international community is watching this very closely and will respond accordingly.”
What will happen now with the results of dispute is uncertain. If people take to the streets, they will know the history of protests being snuffed out by repressive government forces.
Source: Hope was in the air for Venezuela’s election, but it ended in dispute and uncertainty
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Lexi is based in New York City and Venezuela. You can see more of her work on LexiParra.com or on Instagram, at @lexigraceparra.
CARACAS, Venezuela — After months of obstacles, doubt and theories, Venezuela’s election finally happened. But Venezuelans awoke Monday to a tense outcome where President Nicolás Maduro and his chief opponents are both claiming victory.