Venezuelans Cast Votes in Test of Commitment to Democracy
Maduro faces off versus González, stand-in for popular Machado
All eyes on the transparency and fairness of the vote

For the first time in more than a decade, Venezuelans are hopeful about getting a chance at democracy.
Across the Andean nation, people braced late Sunday for the results of a tense and dramatic presidential race. Nicolás Maduro, whose 11-year grip on power spanned one of the worst humanitarian and economic crises in modern history, has been running for reelection against a candidate who wasn’t even on the ballot.

Former lawmaker María Corina Machado — banned by Maduro’s government from seeking public office — has risen to popularity on calls to dismantle government controls on the economy, privatize the oil industry and reunite families torn apart by the exodus of 7.7 million Venezuelans. That’s culminated in a powerful citizen movement not seen in the country since Hugo Chávez, Maduro’s mentor and idol, unseated the political establishment in the late 1990s.

Machado has endorsed and been campaigning alongside her stand-in candidate, former diplomat Edmundo González, 74, who is facing off against Maduro, 61.


Turnout on Sunday was “massive, like nothing seen in recent years,” González said at an evening news conference. Standing by his side, Machado urged supporters to remain at polling stations to observe the voting process.

Voting was scheduled to close at 6 p.m. local time Sunday after a largely peaceful and orderly presidential election. Polling stations must remain open if people are still in line. The government has promised results by 10 p.m.

All eyes will be on the transparency and fairness of the vote, especially after the US reinstated costly sanctions over what it said were violations of a deal for free elections. The presence of small missions from the Carter Center and the United Nations, hundreds of local observers, as well as a network of roughly 30,000 volunteer witnesses, could play a critical role in mitigating the risk of potential tampering. Venezuela withdrew the invitation to observe the vote from a more robust European Union group.

On Sunday morning in Caracas, voters queued up well ahead of the opening of polls. Many had arrived as early as the night before, bringing their own chairs and coffee to pull an all-nighter. By late afternoon, some had already emptied out, with the process more efficient than many expected.

In other parts of the country, opposition witnesses cited dozens of incidents of detention or other forms of intimidation. In some cities, polling supervisory boards were merged without warning, slowing the voting process in what opposition leaders suspected was a deliberate attempt to dissuade people waiting in line in the hot sun.

“I planned for this days ahead, as I wanted this day to be an example to my kids, family and friends,” voter Daniel Gutierrez, 44, said Sunday at his polling station, located in southern Caracas in a middle-class neighborhood of residential buildings. He’d been there since 10 p.m. the night before. “A change is needed after so many years of corruption.”

In another part of the city, Luisa Aponte, 70, was stationed under a blue tent near the polling center, working through a list of about 70 people she had recruited to cast their ballots as part of a socialist party voter drive. She leads the party’s team in Petare, a busy commercial area that’s home to the largest slum in the country.

“Chávez’s legacy must continue through Maduro,” she said. “Maduro has been able to sort out sanctions and the blockade. He’s done so much for us, like guaranteeing housing. Of course, nobody is perfect. But he’s the only choice to keep Chávez legacy.”

It’s hard to imagine Maduro ceding power, particularly given the suppression of the opposition party so far and a history of fraudulent elections. One of his biggest challenges will be proving the vote was fair enough to give him legitimacy among his people and the rest of the world. If González wins, the biggest challenge would be orchestrating a peaceful transition of power in a government that’s stacked with Chavista loyalists.

But whoever presides over Venezuela in the next six-year term will have to navigate an economic recovery, secure sanctions relief on oil, the country’s primary export and main source of income, and negotiate a $158 billion debt restructuring.

Maduro could prevail through a combination of a biased electoral authority, intimidation and voter suppression. The government controls 3 out of 5 directors at the National Electoral Council, most importantly its president, Elvis Amoroso — best known for disqualifying Machado, 56, from public office.

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