beautiful picturesPolls are closing in on Venezuela’s presidential election, with Nicolás Maduro of the ruling socialist PSUV party seeking a third term in office.
Polling stations are scheduled to close at 18:00 local time (22:00 GMT), but they must stay open if people are still queuing to vote.
Mr Maduro’s main rival is Edmundo González, a former diplomat backed by a coalition of opposition parties.
The opposition urged supporters to remain on guard at their polling stations to verify the vote-counting process in the “decisive hours” after closing, amid widespread concerns that the PSUV would try to steal votes.
Opinion polls show Mr González with a large lead over the incumbent, but because Mr Maduro’s 2018 re-election was widely criticised as not being free and fair, there are concerns that the outcome of this election could be tampered with if it does not favour Mr Maduro.
Opponents of the president have overcome several hurdles ahead of the election, including having their chosen candidate, María Corina Machado, barred from running.
Ms Machado, who remains at the forefront of the opposition campaign, reminded voters that the vote-counting process must legally be public.
She called on “all Venezuelans to stay at their polling stations… and stay vigilant.”
The PSUV has been in power in Venezuela for the past 25 years — first under the late President Hugo Chávez, then under his handpicked successor, Mr Maduro.
Under their leadership, the PSUV gained control not only of the executive and legislative branches, but also much of the judiciary.
Since taking office in 2013, Mr Maduro has presided over an economic crisis that has seen GDP fall by 70% and forced more than 7.7 million people to leave the country in search of a better life.
If elected, Mr González said he would do “everything possible” to attract those who have left.
But Mr Maduro has said he intends to win the election. “by hook or by crook” and warned of a “bloodbath” if he lost.
The National Electoral Council (CNE) – the body that organizes the election and announces official results – is dominated by government loyalists.
The country’s president, Elvis Amoroso, is a close ally of Mr Maduro.
Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves, but its oil production has plummeted under President Maduro – the result of a combination of underinvestment, mismanagement and oil sanctions.
The lifting of oil sanctions – imposed by the United States to pressure Mr Maduro after his 2018 presidential election – could impact global oil prices.
Voting in Venezuela is electronic. Voters press a button assigned to their preferred candidate on a voting machine.
Electronic results are sent to CNE headquarters, but the voting machine also prints out a paper receipt that is then dropped into the ballot box.
By law, parties are allowed to send witnesses to count votes at each polling station.
The opposition will be watching these figures to see if they match the results announced by the CNE.
