Maduro seeks re-election in Venezuela
WITH THE OPPOSITION BOYCOTTING AND TWO OF HIS MOST POPULAR RIVALS BARRED, HE IS EXPECTED TO WIN
These are not elections. They are a farce intended to keep Maduro in power without popular support.”
Juan Pablo Guanipa | Opposition leader
The day has come to make history and save Venezuela.”
Henri Falcon | Maduro’s challenger
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was seeking a six-year term yesterday in a vote condemned by foes as the “coronation” of a dictator and likely to bring fresh foreign sanctions.
With the mainstream opposition boycotting the election, two of his most popular rivals barred from standing and state institutions in loyalists’ hands, the 55-year-old former bus driver is expected to win despite his unpopularity.
That could trigger oil sanctions from the US government, and more censure from the European Union and Latin America.
The self-described “son” of Hugo Chavez says he is battling an “imperialist” plot to crush socialism and take over the Opec nation’s oil wealth. But opponents say the leftist leader has destroyed Venezuela’s once-wealthy economy and ruthlessly crushed dissent.
Maduro’s main challenger is former state governor Henri Falcon, who predicts an upset on the back of some polls showing him ahead and widespread fury among Venezuela’s 30 million people at the collapse of their economy.
‘Save Venezuela’
“The day has come to make history and save Venezuela,” Falcon, 56, tweeted early yesterday, urging Venezuelans to vote.
During his campaign, he scattered fake $100 bills to symbolise his proposal for replacing the collapsed bolívar currency.
Most analysts believe, however, that Falcon has only a slim chance given anticipated abstention, the opposition split over his break with the boycott, the vote-winning power of state handouts, and Maduro’s allies on the election board.
“These are not elections. They are a farce intended to keep Maduro in power without popular support,” said Juan Pablo Guanipa, of the main opposition coalition, which is boycotting the vote.
Further hurting Falcon’s chances by splitting the antiMaduro vote is a third candidate, evangelical pastor Javier Bertucci, who has picked up quite a following on the campaign trail, not least thanks to his free soup handouts.
On the streets, many Venezuelans are disillusioned and angry over the election: They criticise Maduro for economic hardships and the opposition for its dysfunctional splits.
Reeling from a fifth year of recession, falling oil production and US sanctions blocking new debt issues, Venezuela is seeing growing levels of malnutrition and hunger, hyperinflation, and mass emigration.