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Chicago Tribune
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Many Venezuelan voters, frustrated and disillusioned, skip election
CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelans still reeling from the outcome of last year's presidential election did not respond Sunday to government calls to get out and vote for lawmakers, governors and other officials. That left voting centers practically empty at times and put officials on the defensive. The election, which the political opposition urged people to boycott, was the first to allow broad voter participation since the presidential contest that President Nicolás Maduro claimed to have won last year despite credible evidence to the contrary. It took place two days after the government detained dozens of people, including a prominent opposition leader, and linked them to an alleged plot to hinder the vote. Members of the military throughout the day outnumbered voters at many polling centers in the capital, Caracas, where no lines formed outside in stark contrast with the enthusiasm of the July presidential election, when some people lined up for hours. But senior government officials insisted polling centers saw such overwhelming participation on Sunday that they had to remain open past the scheduled 12 hours of operation. Electoral authorities said 42.66% of registered voters cast ballots across the country. Some 21.4 million people were registered, meaning the National Electoral Council claimed that about 9.12 million voters participated. Voter participation, in the eyes of the opposition, legitimizes Maduro's claim to power and his government's repressive apparatus, which after the July presidential election detained more than 2,000 people including protesters, poll workers, political activists and minors, to quash dissent. 'I'm not going to vote,' truck driver Carlos León, 41, said standing near a desolate polling station in downtown Caracas. 'I don't believe in the (electoral authority). I don't think they'll respect the vote. Nobody forgets what happened in the presidential elections. It's sad, but it's true.' A nationwide poll conducted between April 29 and May 4 by the Venezuela-based research firm Delphos showed that only 15.9% of voters expressed a high probability of voting Sunday. Of those, 74.2% said they would vote for the candidates of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela and its allies, while 13.8% said they would vote for contenders associated with two opposition leaders who are not boycotting the elections. 'Today, we witnessed an event that attempted to disguise itself as an election, but failed to deceive the country or the world,' Edmundo González, who is recognized by the United States and several other countries as the winner of the July presidential election, posted on X. 'What the world saw today was an act of civic courage. A silent but powerful declaration that the desire for change, dignity, and a future remains intact,' he added. Opposition leaders chose González, a retired diplomat, as the faction's presidential candidate because the government banned primary winner Maria Corina Machado from running for office. González has been in exile since September to avoid arrest and, for the same reason, Machado has not been seen in public since January. Machado's close ally, Juan Pablo Guanipa, was among 70 people detained Friday for alleged anti-government activities. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello linked Guanipa to an alleged 'terrorist group' plotting to disturb Sunday's vote. Guanipa's brother, Tomás, rejected the accusation and said the arrest was punishment for 'thinking differently' from the government. The ruling party-loyal National Electoral Council oversaw Sunday's election for state legislators, 285 members of the unicameral National Assembly and all 24 governors, including the newly created governorship purportedly established to administer Essequibo, a region long under dispute between Venezuela and neighboring Guyana. Among the members of the opposition who were on Sunday's ballot were twice-failed presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, who won a seat in the National Assembly, and former lawmaker Juan Requesens, who lost his bid for governor. Requesens spent years in prison after authorities accused him of participating in a failed drone attack against Maduro. The electoral body reported that the ruling party won 23 of the 24 gubernatorial races. Maduro's party also kept control of the National Assembly. Maduro after voting said the electronic polling process is 'very fast and very easy,' seemingly justifying the lack of lines at polling centers. His ruling-party ally, Gov. Freddy Bernal, explained the apparent low turnout similarly. 'We won't see long lines because the process is very fast,' Bernal, who was reelected governor of the state of Táchira, told state television. Maduro also criticized opposition factions who asked people not to vote. 'What did they win? They lost everything,' Maduro said three times regarding previous opposition boycotts. 'They — the ones running that campaign — are nothing, and Venezuela continues its course.' The ruling party controls 19 governorships and more than 90% of the National Assembly seats. But in Maduro's Venezuela, regional elected officials, regardless of party affiliation, have limited impact on people's lives because his highly centralized government controls practically everything from Caracas. The government also represses the opposition by, for instance, disqualifying a candidate after the election or appointing a ruling-party loyalist to oversee the elected offices held by opponents, rendering them powerless. Further, after the opposition won control of the National Assembly in 2015, Maduro created an election for members of a Constituent Assembly in 2017. That body, controlled by the ruling party, decreed itself superior to all other branches of government until it ceased to exist in 2020. On Sunday, state television showed daylight footage of voters gathered at some polling centers outside Caracas, including from Indigenous communities where people traveled by boat and defied heavy rains to vote. In a working-class neighborhood in the capital, the National Guard placed three armored personnel carriers, but by midday, the nearest voting center had no visible activity and soldiers were looking at their cellphones while they sheltered from the sun. Meanwhile, voters at a polling place in downtown Caracas said they cast ballots out of fear of losing their government jobs or food and other state-controlled benefits. And in an opposition stronghold, some ignored the boycott calls believing that voting is their civic duty, while others saw the election as a chance to keep their local government under opposition control. 'I'm defending my municipality,' said Edith, the owner of a bankrupt family business who declined to give her last name out of fear of government reprisals. 'I'm still angry with what happened in July, but I have to defend it.'
Arab Times
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab Times
Many Venezuelan voters, frustrated, skip election for lawmakers and governors
CARACAS, Venezuela, May 26, (AP): Venezuelans still reeling from the outcome of last year's presidential election did not respond Sunday to government calls to get out and vote for lawmakers, governors and other officials. That left voting centers practically empty at times and put officials on the defensive. The election, which the political opposition urged people to boycott, was the first to allow broad voter participation since the presidential contest that President Nicolás Maduro claimed to have won last year despite credible evidence to the contrary. It took place two days after the government detained dozens of people, including a prominent opposition leader, and linked them to an alleged plot to hinder the vote. Members of the military throughout the day outnumbered voters at many polling centers in the capital, Caracas, where no lines formed outside in stark contrast with the enthusiasm of the July presidential election, when some people lined up for hours. But senior government officials insisted polling centers saw such overwhelming participation on Sunday that they had to remain open past the scheduled 12 hours of operation. Electoral authorities said 42.66% of registered voters cast ballots across the country. Some 21.4 million people were registered, meaning the National Electoral Council claimed that about 9.12 million voters participated. Voter participation, in the eyes of the opposition, legitimizes Maduro's claim to power and his government's repressive apparatus, which after the July presidential election detained more than 2,000 people including protesters, poll workers, political activists and minors, to quash dissent. "I'm not going to vote,' truck driver Carlos León, 41, said standing near a desolate polling station in downtown Caracas. "I don't believe in the (electoral authority). I don't think they'll respect the vote. Nobody forgets what happened in the presidential elections. It's sad, but it's true.' A nationwide poll conducted between April 29 and May 4 by the Venezuela-based research firm Delphos showed that only 15.9% of voters expressed a high probability of voting Sunday. Of those, 74.2% said they would vote for the candidates of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela and its allies, while 13.8% said they would vote for contenders associated with two opposition leaders who are not boycotting the elections. "Today, we witnessed an event that attempted to disguise itself as an election, but failed to deceive the country or the world,' Edmundo González, who is recognized by the United States and several other countries as the winner of the July presidential election, posted on X. "What the world saw today was an act of civic courage. A silent but powerful declaration that the desire for change, dignity, and a future remains intact,' he added.
Express Tribune
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Low turnout as opposition boycotts divisive Venezuela vote
A trickle of Venezuelans lined up at the polls Sunday to choose a new legislature and state governors in a vote that the main opposition party was boycotting in protest at last summer's disputed reelection of President Nicolas Maduro. Some 21 million voters are eligible to cast ballots for 285 members of the National Assembly and 24 governors, including for the first time in the disputed oil-rich region of Essequibo, on the border with Guyana. But pollster Delphos projected a turnout of just 16 percent, mostly Maduro supporters, after the main opposition -- led by Maria Corina Machado, an engineer and former lawmaker -- urged Venezuelans not to legitimize what they see as yet another sham election. Polls opened at 6:00 am (1000 GMT), but by midday AFP journalists at polling stations in Caracas, San Cristobal and Barinas reported that just a handful of voters had turned out. It was a far cry from the crowded presidential election of last summer, marred by violence and allegations of fraud as Maduro claimed a third-term victory. "It's empty also because of the time," Carla Romero, a 52-year-old civil servant, told AFP. "It's an important process of citizen participation," said Samadi Romero, a 32-year-old university student who voted for Maduro's son for the National Assembly. "I'm not going to vote because I voted (in the presidential election) and they stole the elections. So it's really a farce," said Candelaria Rojas Sierra, a 78-year-old retired civil servant in San Cristobal, on her way to mass to "pray for Venezuela." The polls officially close at 6:00 pm, although polling stations must remain open as long as there are voters waiting in line. A small opposition faction led by two-time former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles had rejected the boycott call, arguing that previous voter stayaways had merely allowed the 62-year-old Maduro to expand his grip on power. "We must vote as an act of resistance, of struggle," said Capriles, who is running for the National Assembly. Tensions were high in the run-up to the election. More than 400,000 security agents were deployed to monitor the vote.
Los Angeles Times
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Many Venezuelan voters, frustrated and disillusioned, skip Sunday's election
CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelans still reeling from the outcome of last year's presidential election were not responding Sunday to government calls to get out and vote for lawmakers, governors and other officials. That left voting centers practically empty at times and put officials on the defensive. The election, which the political opposition urged people to boycott, is the first to allow broad voter participation since last year's presidential contest, which President Nicolás Maduro claimed to have won despite substantive evidence to the contrary. It's taking place two days after the government detained dozens of people, including a prominent opposition leader, and linked them to an alleged plot to hinder the vote. Members of the military throughout the day outnumbered civilian voters at many polling centers in the capital, Caracas, where no lines formed outside, in stark contrast with the enthusiasm of the July 28 presidential election, when some people waited in line overnight and the lines stretched for blocks. 'I'm not going to vote,' said truck driver Carlos León, 41, standing near a desolate polling station in downtown Caracas. 'I don't believe in the [electoral authority]. I don't think they'll respect the vote. Nobody forgets what happened in the presidential elections. It's sad, but it's true.' Voter participation, in the eyes of the opposition, legitimizes Maduro's claim to power and his government's repressive apparatus, which after the July presidential election detained more than 2,000 people, including protesters, poll workers, political activists and minors, to quash dissent. Meanwhile, the ruling party was already touting overwhelming victory across the country, just as it has done in previous regional elections regardless of opposition participation. A nationwide poll conducted between April 29 and May 4 by the Venezuela-based research firm Delphos showed that only about 16% of voters said there was a high probability they would vote Sunday. Of those, about 74% said they would vote for the candidates of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela and its allies, while some 13% said they would vote for contenders associated with two opposition leaders who are not boycotting the elections. 'I think it's absolutely despicable,' opposition operative Humberto Villalobos said Saturday, referring to the election participation of some opposition members. 'We're facing the most brutal repression in recent years in the country. [The vote] is a comedy, a parody.' Villalobos was elections division chief for opposition leader Maria Corina Machado when he and five other government opponents sought refuge in March 2024 at a diplomatic compound in Caracas to avoid arrest. He spent more than a year there, and on Saturday, along with four of the others, spoke publicly for the first time since they left the compound surreptitiously and arrived in the United States this month. Machado's close ally, Juan Pablo Guanipa, was among 70 people detained Friday for alleged antigovernment activities. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello linked Guanipa to an alleged 'terrorist group' plotting to disturb Sunday's vote. Guanipa's brother, Tomás, rejected the accusation and said the arrest was punishment for 'thinking differently' from the government. The ruling-party-loyal National Electoral Council oversaw Sunday's election for state legislators, 285 members of the unicameral National Assembly and all 24 governors, including the newly created governorship purportedly established to administer Essequibo — a region of Guyana that Venezuela has long laid claim to, an effort Maduro has amplified recently. After voting Sunday, Maduro said the electronic polling process is 'very fast and very easy,' seemingly justifying the lack of lines at polling centers. Earlier, his ruling party ally, Gov. Freddy Bernal, explained the apparent low turnout similarly. 'We won't see long lines because the process is very fast,' Bernal, who is seeking reelection as governor of the state of Táchira, said on state television. Maduro also criticized opposition factions who asked people not to vote. 'What did they win? They lost everything,' Maduro said three times regarding previous opposition boycotts. 'They — the ones running that campaign — are nothing, and Venezuela continues its course.' The ruling party controls 19 governorships and more than 90% of the National Assembly seats. But in Maduro's Venezuela, regional elected officials, regardless of party affiliation, have limited effect on people's lives because his highly centralized government controls practically everything. The government in Caracas also represses the opposition by, for instance, disqualifying a candidate after an election or appointing a ruling-party loyalist to oversee the elected offices held by opponents, rendering them powerless. Further, after the opposition won control of the National Assembly in 2015, Maduro created an election for members of a Constituent Assembly in 2017. That body, controlled by the ruling party, decreed itself superior to all other branches of government until it ceased to exist in 2020. In a working-class neighborhood, the National Guard stationed three armored personnel carriers, but by midday the nearest voting center had no visible activity and soldiers were looking at their cellphones while they sheltered from the sun. Meanwhile, voters at a polling place in downtown Caracas said they cast ballots out of fear of losing their government jobs or food and other state-controlled benefits. And in an opposition stronghold, some ignored the boycott calls, saying that voting is their civic duty, while others saw the election as a chance to keep their local government under opposition control. 'I'm defending my municipality,' said Edith, the owner of a bankrupt family business who declined to give her last name out of fear of government reprisals. 'I'm still angry with what happened in July, but I have to defend it.' Cano writes for the Associated Press.
Hamilton Spectator
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Many Venezuelan voters, frustrated and disillusioned, skip election for lawmakers and governors
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelans still reeling from the outcome of last year's presidential election were not responding Sunday to government calls to get out and vote for lawmakers, governors and other officials. That left voting centers practically empty at times and put officials on the defensive. The election, which the political opposition urged people to boycott , is the first to allow broad voter participation since last year's presidential contest, which President Nicolás Maduro claimed to have won despite credible evidence to the contrary . It's taking place two days after the government detained dozens of people, including a prominent opposition leader, and linked them to an alleged plot to hinder the vote. Members of the military throughout the day outnumbered voters at many polling centers in the capital, Caracas, where no lines formed outside in stark contrast with the enthusiasm of the July 28 presidential election, when some people waited in line overnight and the lines stretched for blocks. 'I'm not going to vote,' said truck driver Carlos León, 41, standing near a desolate polling station in downtown Caracas. 'I don't believe in the (electoral authority). I don't think they'll respect the vote. Nobody forgets what happened in the presidential elections. It's sad, but it's true.' Voter participation, in the eyes of the opposition, legitimizes Maduro's claim to power and his government's repressive apparatus, which after the July presidential election detained more than 2,000 people including protesters, poll workers, political activists and minors, to quash dissent. Meanwhile, the ruling party was already touting overwhelming victory across the country, just as it has done in previous regional elections regardless of opposition participation. A nationwide poll conducted between April 29 and May 4 by the Venezuela-based research firm Delphos showed that only 15.9% of voters expressed a high probability of voting Sunday. Of those, 74.2% said they would vote for the candidates of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela and its allies, while 13.8% said they would vote for contenders associated with two opposition leaders who are not boycotting the elections. 'I think it's absolutely despicable,' opposition operative Humberto Villalobos said Saturday, referring to the election participation of some opposition members. 'We're facing the most brutal repression in recent years in the country. (The vote) is a comedy, a parody.' Villalobos was elections division chief for opposition leader Maria Corina Machado when he and five other government opponents sought refuge in March 2024 at a diplomatic compound in Caracas to avoid arrest. He spent more than a year there and on Saturday, along with four of the others, spoke publicly for the first time since they left the compound surreptitiously and arrived in the United States earlier this month. Machado's close ally, Juan Pablo Guanipa, was among 70 people detained Friday for alleged anti-government activities. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello linked Guanipa to an alleged 'terrorist group' plotting to disturb Sunday's vote. Guanipa's brother, Tomás, rejected the accusation and said the arrest was punishment for 'thinking differently' from the government. All-controlling ruling party The ruling party-loyal National Electoral Council oversaw Sunday's election for state legislators, 285 members of the unicameral National Assembly and all 24 governors, including the newly created governorship purportedly established to administer Essequibo , a region long under dispute between Venezuela and neighboring Guyana. After voting Sunday, Maduro said the electronic polling process is 'very fast and very easy,' seemingly justifying the lack of lines at polling centers. Earlier, his ruling-party ally, Gov. Freddy Bernal, explained the apparent low turnout similarly. 'We won't see long lines because the process is very fast,' Bernal, who is seeking reelection as governor of the state of Táchira, told state television. Maduro also criticized opposition factions who asked people not to vote. 'What did they win? They lost everything,' Maduro said three times regarding previous opposition boycotts. 'They — the ones running that campaign — are nothing, and Venezuela continues its course.' The ruling party controls 19 governorships and more than 90% of the National Assembly seats. But in Maduro's Venezuela, regional elected officials, regardless of party affiliation, have limited impact on people's lives because his highly centralized government controls practically everything from Caracas. The government also represses the opposition by, for instance, disqualifying a candidate after the election or appointing a ruling-party loyalist to oversee the elected offices held by opponents, rendering them powerless. Further, after the opposition won control of the National Assembly in 2015, Maduro created an election for members of a Constituent Assembly in 2017. That body, controlled by the ruling party, decreed itself superior to all other branches of government until it ceased to exist in 2020. State-controlled benefits In a working-class neighborhood, the National Guard placed three armored personnel carriers, but by midday, the nearest voting center had no visible activity and soldiers were looking at their cellphones while they sheltered from the sun. Meanwhile, voters at a polling place in downtown Caracas said they cast ballots out of fear of losing their government jobs or food and other state-controlled benefits. And in an opposition stronghold, some ignored the boycott calls believing that voting is their civic duty, while others saw the election as a chance to keep their local government under opposition control. 'I'm defending my municipality,' said Edith, the owner of a bankrupt family business who declined to give her last name out of fear of government reprisals. 'I'm still angry with what happened in July, but I have to defend it.'
