The free-market proponent won the contest with more than 90% of the vote. Venezuela’s top court complicated her presidential aspirations in January by affirming her ban, although she has continued campaigning and has rejected suggestions to choose a substitute.Brazil is the only country to use a fully digital voting system without paper backups.
Stark irregularities and suppression efforts could plunge the country back into instability and economic decline.Television screens up and down the country only showed jubilant crowds, draped in the Venezuelan flag, dancing and cheering on the president.^ a b Although Nicolás Maduro's exact birthplace has been questioned on several occasions and h
“We will stay here until there is a military intervention or the electoral court changes what is happening,” said Antoniel Almeida, 45, the owner of a party-supply store who was helping run the blockade. Mr. Almeida believed the election was rigged. “We need an investigation,” he said.In the 20th century Venezuela was transformed from a rel
On August 4 Maduro was the target of an unsuccessful assassination attempt undertaken with two explosive-laden drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) that were detonated near him while he spoke to National Guard troops after a commemorative parade in Caracas. Maduro was unharmed. Responsibility for the assault was unclear.Most critically, the result is
The opposition is hopeful it can oust the incumbent, whose party has ruled the country for 25 years.Only about 31 percent of eligible voters went to the polls, which allowed the PSUV to capture nearly 68 percent of the vote and hence secure an overwhelming majority in the Assembly (the opposition parties that chose to participate took less than 18