Venezuelan Elections: PWS live updates
Your spot for all the latest news as a country riven by crisis goes to the polls to determine its future
In the Eastern states of Venezuela, voters were already forming long lines at voting centers Saturday at 9 p.m. before elections Sunday. Tensions in the country are rising as Maduro trails in most polls to opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia.
The government denied entry into the country to some international election observers. It also closed the land border with Colombia on Thursday, leaving many Venezuelans from the eastern state of Táchira trapped in Cúcuta.
Current President Nicolas Maduro, who took power in 2013 after the death of Hugo Chávez, is facing the greatest challenge to his power in his career. His popularity has plummeted over the last decade as the country plunged into economic and political crisis. Eight million people have fled the country since 2014.
Police crackdowns in the country have left nearly 20,000 people dead, killings that peaked in 2017, and hundreds of people have been jailed for their political affiliations.
Given the presence of international observers, and the security of vote-counting software, outright fraud, if it happens, will be traceable. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be hijinks. Voter suppression efforts are already underway.
Despite agreements as part of the Barbados Accords, agreements between the government and opposition representatives, voter rolls have not been updated, and the vast majority of Venezuelans abroad, nearly 25% of the country’s population, will not be able to participate in elections.
But despite polling, Maduro has been projecting confidence in recent weeks, saying at a rally on Thursday that his party will win “by hook or by crook”. The government is relying on massive turn-out-the-vote operations among supporters.
Today’s feature will be a little different. We will be providing updates and live coverage throughout the elections. If you’re reading this by email, please check the website periodically. We will be watching and in contact with people on the ground across the country. And we even have a few Venezuelans stopping by the desk here to help us out. We’ll be updating with their thoughts as well.
PWS is officially launching it’s first real-time coverage of breaking news as part of elections in Venezuela. And the coverage could not be more crucial.
So stay sharp stay tuned, and stay in touch, piratas. Hasta pronto!
PWS Live Updates
6:18 a.m: The polls have opened! We’re making coffee and logging on. Time to start watching streams, making phone calls, sending texts and stalking social media.
We made a list of journalists in Venezuela for elections, with a focus on English-language and avoiding grifters. You can find it here if you’re interested.
7:05 a.m: Lots of images of crowded voting centers emerging in Venezuelan media and on social media, particularly in the west of the country. High turnout is likely a good sign for opposition parties, but the day is far from over. We’re just getting started.
Asdrubal, who asked not to give his last name, spoke to PWS by phone from Venzuela: "The line is really long. And it's moving slow, likely intentionally. But I don't mind. This is the first time I've had to wait in a line like this to vote in any election"
8:13 a.m: Maduro, in comments at a polling center after voting says he will respect the outcome of the election. He called on other presidential candidates and political parties to publicly declare that they will respect the official bulletin of the National Electoral Council.
9:24 a.m: Venezuelan journalist Ana Milagros Parra reports that she just voted after waiting 4 hours in a line in Caracas. Multiple reports of slow-moving and crowded voting centers. Seventeen percent of registered voters have now done so. We won’t have data on on total turnout for many hours, but anecdotally, it seems like the largest amount of voters since 2015.
11:10 a.m: Unconfirmed reports of some skirmishes at polling stations. Not terribly unusual. A lot of bad information flying on social media, however. We’ve already found two videos claiming to be from this morning that were actually from previous elections. We’re watching the rumor-mill, but it is best to keep in mind that disinformation flies on election day. Always. We are monitoring the situation closely and will of course update.
3:22 p.m: Fake exit polls are being published by some otherwise reputable journalists in Venezuela. They seem to have been hoodwinked. Exit polls are illegal in Venezuela. Anyone publishing them is making up the data.
An hour ago Vladimir Padrino, Defense Minister of Venezuela, in an interview with journalists at his polling station said that “the military will enforce the results of the election.”
Meanwhile, some polling stations in opposition-controlled areas have yet to open. Others have waits of five to six hours. Polls close at 6 in Venezuela. It is an open question whether those people will be allowed to exercise their right to have a voice in ongoing elections.
In past elections, the government has closed down stations in opposition strongholds right at the deadline, even as they allow voting to continue in areas where they enjoy support.
6:02 p.m: Polls are closed! But some sites still have huge lines with waits of up to 4 hours. In theory, anyone in line will be allowed to vote Still gonna be quite awhile until we have anything resembling results.
Great work (as always) Mr. Joshua!!!
Excellent article.
Just a precision, the people in Cúcuta that is not allowed to go back to their homes in Venezuela is from State Táchira, as your tw correctly says.