Venezuelans voted on July 28 between allowing President Nicolás Maduro to remain in office or replacing him with his rival Edmundo González Urrutia, amid threats of a “bloodbath” if he lost.
Polls show the vote poses the biggest threat yet to the 25-year-old “Chavismo,” the populist movement founded by Mr. Maduro’s predecessor and mentor, Hugo Chávez.
But analysts say Mr Maduro is unlikely to give in, especially in the absence of immunity guarantees, and with his government under investigation by the International Criminal Court for human rights abuses.
Long queues of voters were seen at many polling stations hours before voting began at 6:00 am (1530 IST) on July 28. Voting will close at 6:00 pm.
“I’ve been here since 4:30 in the morning and I hope it will be a successful day,” said Griselda Barroso, a 54-year-old lawyer. AFP In Caracas.
“I hope there will be democracy there.”
Mr Maduro, 61, is seeking a third six-year term at the helm of the once-rich petroleum state whose GDP has fallen by 80% in a decade, forcing more than 7 million of its 30 million citizens to flee.
He is accused of locking up critics and harassing the opposition in an atmosphere of growing authoritarianism.
In a message published on social media overnight, Mr Maduro urged Venezuelans to “vote, vote, vote, and peace will prevail.”
After casting his vote in the capital on July 28, he vowed to “ensure” that the results were respected.
His opponent, 74-year-old former diplomat Gonzalez Urrutia, called on his countrymen to come out in large numbers “to change their future” in what would “undoubtedly be the most important democratic manifestation of the people in recent years.”
“We hope and wish that everything will happen peacefully,” he said in a video posted on social media.
Mr Maduro trails González Urrutia far in voter intentions, according to independent surveys, but he relies on a loyal electoral machinery, military leadership and state institutions with well-established political patronage.
Based on its own figures, the government is also said to be confident of victory.
After several international election observers were blocked from entering the South American country at the last minute, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on all parties to “respect the democratic process”.
“The Venezuelan people deserve elections that truly reflect their will, free from any kind of manipulation. The international community will be watching this very closely,” Mr. Blinken told reporters in Japan.
‘Peace or War’
Days before the vote, Mr Maduro said the outcome would determine whether Venezuela would enter a period of “peace or war”.
“If they don’t want Venezuela to become a bloodbath, a fratricidal civil war unleashed by fascists, we must guarantee our people the greatest success, the greatest electoral victory,” he told a rally.
The remarks were condemned by several leaders, including Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who said: “Maduro has to learn: if you win, you stay. If you lose, you leave.”
Concerns were further fueled when Caracas barred international observers, including four former presidents whose plane was detained in Panama on July 26.
‘The world is watching’
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola spoke to Machado on 27 July, and afterwards wrote on Twitter: “We are in favor of democracy. The world is watching these elections.”
On July 26, a Venezuelan NGO said the government was holding 305 “political prisoners” and had arrested 135 people associated with the opposition campaign since January.
Caracas has accused the opposition of plotting against Mr Maduro, whose 2018 re-election was rejected as illegitimate by most Western and Latin American countries.
The president has not been removed from office despite years of tough US sanctions, backed by Cuba, Russia and China.
The people of Venezuela are demanding change.
Most people survive on just a few dollars a month, health care and education systems are in shambles, and electricity and fuel shortages are severe.
The government blames sanctions, but observers point to corruption and mismanagement.
Nearly 21 million Venezuelans are registered to vote.
The government has deployed thousands of security forces, imposed tight border controls and banned public gatherings and protests.
“Elections in Venezuela will hardly be free or fair, but Venezuelans have the best chance to choose their government in more than a decade,” Juanita Goeberts, director of Human Rights Watch Americas, said this week. She urged the international community to “support their (voters).”