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Latin America
Related: About this forumVenezuelans stay away from polls to protest government vote
Source: Associated Press
Venezuelans stay away from polls to protest government vote
By MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN
6 minutes ago
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) Venezuelans stayed away from the polls in massive numbers on Sunday in a show of protest against a vote to grant President Nicolas Maduros ruling socialist party virtually unlimited powers in the face of a brutal socio-economic crisis and a grinding battle against its political opponents and groups of increasingly alienated and violent young protesters.
The government swore to continue its push for total political dominance of this once-prosperous OPEC nation, a move likely to trigger U.S. sanctions and new rounds of the street fighting that has killed at least 122 and wounded nearly 2,000 since protests began in April.
Venezuelas chief prosecutors office reported seven deaths Sunday in clashes between protesters and police across the country. Seven police officers were wounded when an explosion went off as they drove past piles of trash that had been used to blockade a street in an opposition stronghold in eastern Caracas.
-snip-
Across the capital of more than 2 million people, dozens of polling places were virtually empty, including many that saw hours-long lines of thousands voting to keep the government in power over the last two decades. By contrast, at the Poliedro sports and cultural complex in western Caracas, several thousand people waited about two hours to vote, many drawn from opposition-dominated neighborhoods where polling places were closed. But at least three dozen other sites visited by The Associated Press had no more than a few hundred voters at any one time, with many virtually empty.
-snip-
By MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN
6 minutes ago
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) Venezuelans stayed away from the polls in massive numbers on Sunday in a show of protest against a vote to grant President Nicolas Maduros ruling socialist party virtually unlimited powers in the face of a brutal socio-economic crisis and a grinding battle against its political opponents and groups of increasingly alienated and violent young protesters.
The government swore to continue its push for total political dominance of this once-prosperous OPEC nation, a move likely to trigger U.S. sanctions and new rounds of the street fighting that has killed at least 122 and wounded nearly 2,000 since protests began in April.
Venezuelas chief prosecutors office reported seven deaths Sunday in clashes between protesters and police across the country. Seven police officers were wounded when an explosion went off as they drove past piles of trash that had been used to blockade a street in an opposition stronghold in eastern Caracas.
-snip-
Across the capital of more than 2 million people, dozens of polling places were virtually empty, including many that saw hours-long lines of thousands voting to keep the government in power over the last two decades. By contrast, at the Poliedro sports and cultural complex in western Caracas, several thousand people waited about two hours to vote, many drawn from opposition-dominated neighborhoods where polling places were closed. But at least three dozen other sites visited by The Associated Press had no more than a few hundred voters at any one time, with many virtually empty.
-snip-
Read more: https://apnews.com/2c4a82f24baf407fb22322f2c96c4470/Venezuelans-stay-away-from-polls-to-protest-government-vote
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Venezuelans stay away from polls to protest government vote (Original Post)
Eugene
Jul 2017
OP
And surprise, surprise, the rotten CNE they control declared to have had over 8 million votes
Marksman_91
Jul 2017
#4
COLGATE4
(14,732 posts)1. Unfortunately it doesn't matter. Regardless of the actual votes,
Maduro will declare a 'rousing victory' for his 'new' constitution and Venezuela will slip totally into one-person rule.
GatoGordo
(2,412 posts)2. Don't be surprized when he claims over 7 million voted for his plan
He said that polling centers were going to be open an extra hour to accommodate millions who are still waiting to vote. I wouldn't doubt that he will keep the polls open all week, so that malingerers can be brought to the polls to "vote".
COLGATE4
(14,732 posts)3. Unfortunately nothing that Maduro does surprises me now.
He has been well trained by his Cuban overlords to lie and deny.
Marksman_91
(2,035 posts)4. And surprise, surprise, the rotten CNE they control declared to have had over 8 million votes
Not even 8 million is what Maduro got when he was "elected". This is the biggest, most blatant voting fraud ever committed in the history of Venezuela.
Bacchus4.0
(6,837 posts)5. Wow, Maduro is amazing!! nt