Why is this election important?
The results of Venezuela's presidential election on July 28 will be important not only for the future of the country's democracy, but also for the more than 7 million Venezuelans who have fled the country and contributed to the migrant surge. America.
For the past 25 years, the Venezuelan government has been dominated by Chavismo. Chavismo is a socialist movement that began with the democratic election of Hugo Chavez in 1998 and has since become more authoritarian. After Chávez's death in 2013, his protégé Nicolas Maduro narrowly won the presidency.
Venezuela's economy collapsed nearly a decade ago, causing the world's largest displacement in Latin American history. The flow of Venezuelans and other migrants to the United States has become a major theme of the US presidential election campaign.
For the first time in more than a decade, an opposition candidate has a reasonable, if remote, chance of winning an election in Venezuela.
The future of Venezuela's oil reserves, the world's largest, is also at stake. the continued strength of our alliances with China, Russia, and Iran; and the trajectory of a domestic humanitarian crisis that has plunged a once-prosperous country into untold suffering.
Will elections be free and fair?
It is already clear that the elections will not be completely free and fair.
Maduro, 61, controls much of the legislature, military, police, judiciary, national electoral commission, state budget and media, as well as violent militias known as colectivos.
Maduro's government has detained and imprisoned 10 opposition members since January. The other five have arrest warrants and are hiding out at the Argentine embassy in Caracas, Venezuela's capital.
The proposal in parliament would allow the government to suspend opposition movements at any time. Many Venezuelans living abroad are unable to register to vote because of the costly and cumbersome process.
And even if a majority of voters vote against Mr. Maduro, there are widespread doubts about whether he would allow the results to be made public or even accept them if they were made public.
If Maduro were to relinquish power, it would almost certainly be the result of a withdrawal agreement negotiated with the rebels, in which he would seek immunity from prosecution in international tribunals for crimes against humanity. right.
Does Mr. Maduro face a serious challenger?
The government has allowed former diplomat Edmundo González to register as a candidate to represent the opposition coalition, despite all the obstacles it has put in place to prevent a credible election. Mr. González was the opposition's unexpected consensus candidate after popular opposition leader María Colina Machado was barred from running by Mr. Maduro's government.
González said in a joint interview that he was “surprised” when Maduro allowed him to register as a candidate, but there was still no clear explanation as to why.
Mr. González, 74, was until recently unknown to most Venezuelans, but Mr. Machado's support for his candidacy makes him a likely challenger. Machado, 56, a hugely popular former lawmaker, has been rallying voters on her behalf at events across the country, where she has been hailed like a rock star. fill a block with people make an emotional plea In order for her to save the country.
There are other candidates, but they are not considered strong candidates.
What are the main issues?
The number one thing on most Venezuelans' minds is to have a legitimate chance to vote to oust the current Chavista government.
Opinion polls show that about two-thirds of the population opposes Chavismo and are likely to support a candidate who could challenge Maduro, who blames the country's economic collapse. .
Venezuela's economy plummeted about a decade ago due to mismanagement in its oil sector, and tough sanctions imposed by the United States in 2019 worsened the crisis. Salaries and savings have eroded due to soaring inflation.
For years, Venezuelans have struggled to survive on meager incomes, feeding their children, watching family members die from preventable diseases, and waiting in line for hours to buy gasoline.
In the country, crowds of adults rummaged through trash cans for discarded food, long lines for essential goods, soldiers stationed outside bakeries and angry mobs ransacking grocery stores. Emergency rooms are filled with severely malnourished children and infants suffering from dehydration from lack of formula.
The Maduro regime and its strongholds, which occupy about a third of the country, blame foreign adversaries, especially the United States, which is waging an economic war against Venezuela, according to the study.
Given the huge number of Venezuelans who have left the country, reuniting families separated by migration has also emerged as a major issue.
When will I know the results?
Voting in Venezuela typically opens at 6 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m., with results known by around 2 a.m. the next day, although the country's election authorities have not released details of this year's voting.
Where can I find more information?
Can elections remove Venezuela's authoritarian leaders from power?
Meet the candidates challenging Venezuela's authoritarian leader
