7 million Venezuelans vote to reject Maduro – opposition

CARACAS (AFP) – Venezuela’s opposition hailed an unofficial ‘’plebiscite’’ held Sunday as a blow against President Nicolas Maduro and his plan to rewrite the constitution, though deadly violence reared its head again with a deadly attack on voters in Caracas.

Nearly 7.2 million Venezuelans voted in the symbolic election against Maduro, university guarantors said with 95 percent of ballots counted.

Venezuela "sent a clear message to the national executive and the world,’’ announced Central University of Venezuela president Cecilia Garcia Arocha, noting that 6,492,381 voted in the country and 693,789 abroad.

Garcia said final results would be released Monday.

"We do not want to be Cuba, we do not want to be a country without freedom,’’ said Julio Borges, leader of the opposition-controlled parliament.

"Today, Venezuela said yes to a dignified country, a democratic country, a country where people do not have to go because they have no future. The mandate the people have given us is clear.’’

A 61-year-old woman was killed and three other people wounded when gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on people lined up to vote in Catia, a working-class neighborhood in the capital, prosecutors said.

The death brought to 96 the number of people who have died in nearly four months of protests and political agitation in Venezuela’s streets.

The opposition blamed the attack on "paramilitary groups’’ linked to the government.

The central question before voters concerned Maduro’s intention to hold an election on July 30 to choose 545 members of a citizens’ body called the "Constituent Assembly’’ that would redo the constitution.

A dry run of that election was also held Sunday, to detract from the opposition vote which the government branded ‘’illegal.’’

Maduro told the opposition to ‘’not go crazy’’ with the results of its vote, though the head of the national electoral council told the opposition that the result would be considered to have "no legal consequence.’’

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Samuel Moncada said on VTV government TV that he was declaring former Mexican President Vicente Fox persona non grata and banning him from the country for conspiring to instigate violence and foreign intervention. Moncada did not provide evidence to back his claims.