Electoral failure of Chavismo with low voter participation in the Essequibo referendum

Despite all the patriotic campaigning by Chavismo to call for a vote in the Essequibo referendum, empty polling stations celebrated voting day this Sunday, in A real failure of the government of Nicolas Maduro. Several opposition parties and politicians confirmed that very low participation had been recorded in the consultation called by the government to “strengthen” national defense in a historic dispute with Guyana.

The official invitation was based on a territorial claim to an area of ​​160,000 square kilometers rich in minerals and oil, which was used by the government. An attempt to achieve political oxygen Due to the decline in his electoral support in preparation for the presidential elections in 2024.

Proof of Venezuelans’ electoral silence is that the head of the National Electoral Council, Elvis Amoruso, announced an extension of the closing of the polls by two hours because there were still people in line. But the official’s statements They contradicted what was seen on the streets.

The Voluntad Popular (VP) formation has published several messages through it. Likewise, former MP Juan Pablo Guaniba, from the Primero Justicia party, published a video summarizing several practically abandoned voting points in areas such as Lara, Aragua, Falcón, Anzoategui and Zulia.

“In the end, (the government) will give the number (participation) it wants to give, but what is clear is that these people do not invite anyone in Venezuela,” Guanipa said.

“It’s more than clear The vast majority did not attend today’s invitation issued by the government“, admitted in turn opposition leader Henrique Capriles, who went to vote, like other members of the opposition.

Beyond the official figures that the National Electoral Council will present in the next few hours, that day turned out to be a complete failure of the Bolivarian leader’s aspirations, especially when compared to the passion and enthusiasm witnessed in October during the opposition primaries, which strengthened Maria. Corina Machado is at the head of the Democratic Caucus.

Local media also reported a decrease in the flow recorded in some of the 15,857 centers set up for the event, in which 20.69 million Venezuelans were invited to participate.

As collected Clarion In opposition sources, the most optimistic estimates are that Only between 10% and 15% of the electoral list voted.

In response to a question about this matter, Amoruso noted around noon: “At this moment, we have three times the turnout, at this time, that occurred in other electoral processes,” without clarifying the details of the voting events he was referring to when making the comparison.

The consultation, which included a broad and intense campaign that lasted nearly a month, envisaged among its five questions the annexation of Guyanese territory to the Venezuelan map, with the creation of a state called Guyana Esquipa, and the implementation of an “accelerated plan.” “To grant citizenship to residents of the region.

If Caracas attempts to annex territories it has not controlled since 1899, It will lead to a dangerous escalationto. The United States and the Caribbean countries supported Guyana, while Brazil called for prudence. It is not clear how Chavismo intends to impose its jurisdiction over the disputed region.

The Chavez regime pressured public officials to vote. The Maduro government also distributed bags of pork and food to public company officials to secure the vote. He campaigned noisily with orchestras and musicians in squares to attract voters and show signs of festive joy, among other oddities.

Ramon Muchacho, editor of the digital portal CeibaHe expected Maduro to announce that the referendum result represents a boost for his administration, and that “real people” voted en masse and obeyed his call. Now, the final number is the least important.