[ad_1]
The process, 24 days before the July 28 election, began amid uncertainty and complaints of “persecution”, arrests and disqualifications of opponents, with the government accusing opponents of collusion.
“We are winning, and we are winning well, but don’t let anyone get complacent,” Maduro told his followers in downtown Caracas. “Be prepared for the beating we are going to give him!”
Maduro earlier traveled to the oil state of Zulia (in the west) as part of a “takeover” of 70 cities in the country, a symbolic number since the election day is the age of the late Hugo Chavez.
He went all out with huge stages and artists, amid complaints about the excesses of social programs and forcing beneficiaries of social programs to vote for Maduro.
Thousands held huge flags, pictures of Chavez and Maduro and banners in support of the “people’s” president.
There were also numerous statues of inflatable roosters, a symbol of the Chavista movement, which Maduro promoted as “gallo pinto,” meaning strong and aggressive, in contrast to “pataruco,” or weak, a term Maduro refers to opposition candidate Edmundo González, 74.
“Stay with Maduro until the sea runs dry,” said Sandra Salazar, 55, a coffee trader. “We will win overwhelmingly,” said Juan Molina, 46, an activist at a Chavez mobilization.
“We are not blind, we know who are the enemies of the state … the opposition,” he added.
‘We are free now’
The opposition convoy, led by González and campaign mainstay Maria Corina Machado, traveled through about seven states.
“Today, the road to hope and change begins in Venezuela,” González told reporters on a flatbed truck that was carrying them through Caracas, wearing the jersey of the popular Vinotinto team that advanced to the quarterfinals of the America’s Cup.
Thousands of people saw her march through another area opposite to the Chavez march.
“I feel like we are free now, Venezuela has ended the dictatorship, Edmundo is for everyone!” said Raiza Ramírez, a 52-year-old nurse.
González, who was unknown before the nomination, assumed the post after other possible replacements for Machado, who won the opposition primary and was the logical candidate but was unable to secure the nomination because of her disqualification, were blocked and rejected.
The leader still campaigned and drove around the country because Chavismo did not allow her to travel by plane. In every town, she was treated as a “rock star” by the crowds that gathered to hear her promises of change.
“They can’t stop this force,” Machado and González said as they rode in their truck. “This is more than just a campaign, this is a deep feeling for freedom in Venezuela.”
Maduro has in recent weeks hardened his electoral agenda. It promised economic recovery after an unprecedented crisis that cut GDP by 80% and led to a mass exodus of more than 7 million people, or about 25% of the population, according to the United Nations.
Most opinion polls showed a victory for the opposition, accepting these predictions, although Chavismo rejected them.
“It’s one thing to win the electoral process, of course, and another to gain recognition,” Guillermo Terre Aviledo, a professor of political studies at Metropolitan University, warned AFP. “This opens up other types of fears, other types of possibilities.”
Maduro is seeking international legitimacy through these elections after his re-election in 2018 was widely rejected by the international community. The United States and neighboring countries such as Brazil and Colombia are pressing for conditions.
[ad_2]
Source link
