Exit polling in Venezuela shows opposition beating Maduro by wide margin [View all]
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Source: Washington Post
CARACAS, Venezuela The Venezuelan opposition was hopeful of an election victory Sunday that could bring an end to the authoritarian government of Nicolás Maduro and the socialist state that has controlled this crisis-stricken South American nation for a quarter-century.
Exit polling released after voting centers began to close Sunday evening showed opposition candidate Edmundo González taking 65 percent of the vote, more than doubling Maduros 31 percent, Edison Research reported. Venezuelans were waiting for official results.
The opposition, suffocated by Maduros autocratic rule and historically hobbled by infighting, sees its best chance in more than a decade to unseat the strongman, whom many here blame for this oil-rich countrys economic collapse and the exodus of millions of migrants, hundreds of thousands of them to the United States.
Maduro has barred the oppositions chosen candidate, arrested campaign workers and blocked access to state media. Still, the opposition says it can win and by a landslide. A high turnout could provide a significant boost; by 4 p.m., Gonzálezs campaign estimated that 11.7 million Venezuelans had voted, a participation rate of more than 54 percent.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/07/28/venezuela-election-maduro-gonzalez/
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