CARACAS, Dec 9: Venezuelans voted in municipal elections on Sunday that were the biggest political test yet for President Nicolas Maduro as he tries to halt an economic slide and preserve the socialist legacy of his late mentor, Hugo Chavez.
The outcome of ballots to choose 337 mayors and about 2,500 councillors will be seen as a sign of Maduro’s strength, nine months after Chavez died from cancer and he narrowly beat opposition leader Henrique Capriles to win the presidency.
‘All patriots must vote so we can give a victory to our commander (Chavez) and guarantee peace and future for the fatherland,’ Maduro, 51, tweeted to supporters.
In Caracas shantytowns and elsewhere, pro-Maduro activists woke up supporters before dawn with bugle calls and trumpets in an election mobilization tactic begun under Chavez.
Queues were thin in the early hours but many polling stations stayed open beyond the scheduled 6 p.m./2230 GMT (0400 IST) closure as numbers built up during the day.
Turnout of 60 per cent or more was forecast.
Opponents portray Maduro as a buffoonish autocrat with none of his predecessor’s political savvy and say his continuation of statist economic policies – including a new crackdown on businesses for alleged price-gouging – are disastrous.
‘It’s important to vote though I don’t think it will bring the changes I want,’ said graphic designer Antonella Gutierrez, 45, voting at a primary school in a pro-opposition upscale suburb of Caracas nestled under the Avila mountain.
‘I want changes from the presidency down. This Government is tearing the country into bits, destroying my Venezuela.’
Though local issues such as roads, street lights and utility services were bound to affect individual mayoral races, both sides in the polarized OPEC nation also see the overall results as a crucial show of their standing at national level.
First results were due late Sunday evening. (AGENCIES)
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