Europa Press, AFP and Sputnik
The newspaper La Jornada
Sunday, July 28, 2024, p. 23
Caracas. The head of the National Electoral Council of Venezuela (CNE), Aime Nogal, reported that all the polling stations are ready, in view of today’s presidential elections in which more than 21 million voters are called to vote.
We were in constant contact with political organizations to resolve all the incidents that were found and report them to the national electoral board (…). All the incidents were resolved.Nogal stressed.
They toured the polling stations with the international guests to verify the installation process of all the machinery, Nogal explained, who invited the citizens to go to the polls. The polling stations will open at 6:00 a.m. and close at 6:00 p.m. (local time).
Vente Venezuela, the party of opposition leader Corina Machado, denounced that yesterday a riot broke out wave of repression against political leaders in several states of the country; and asked for the support of the international community. However, they reiterated their intention to participate in the elections: Despite the intimidation, citizens are determined to exercise their rights in this process that will undoubtedly be historic for the country.The message is accompanied by photographs showing vehicles of the Bolivarian Intelligence Service.
In this context, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, assured Machado in a telephone conversation that The world is watching these elections. Excellent call with the inspiring and courageous Maria Corina Machado before tomorrow’s (today’s) elections in Venezuela. We will always defend the rule of law, freedom and the rights of the people.Metsola posted in Spanish on the social network X.
Ten candidates are competing in a single-round process, but only two are weighing in the polls: the current president Nicolás Maduro, of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, and Edmundo González Urrutia, of the Unitary Platform alliance.
Maduro, 61, heir to the late socialist leader Hugo Chavez who is seeking a second term that would propel him to 18 years in power, has survived an economic crisis as well as opposition protests in which repression left hundreds dead amid allegations of human rights violations, analysts said.
González Urrutia, a 74-year-old diplomat, was nominated as a last resort by the Plataforma Unitaria alliance to represent the former liberal deputy María Corina Machado, who is disqualified from holding public office and has been a key player in the opposition campaign.
The rest of the candidates, all from the opposition, are: Benjamin Rausseo, Antonio Ecarri, Daniel Ceballos, Luis Eduardo Martinez, Jose Brito, Claudio Fermin, Javier Bertucci and Enrique Marquez.
Of the ten candidates, eight signed a document in which they committed to recognizing the results of today’s elections; the candidate of the Unitary Platform and Enrique Márquez, of the Centrados en la Gente party, did not sign. Whoever is elected in these elections will assume the office of president on January 10, 2025 for a period of six years.
