Contentious Election Scene in Venezuela: Accounts from Election Day in Caracas
Rewritten Article:
I covered Venezuela's tumultuous three-week presidential campaign season, the subsequent elections, and their turbulent aftermath for TeleSur English, a multinational public TV news network funded by the governments of Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Whilst I'm well-versed in Brazilian politics, I don't claim to be a specialist in Venezuela. This isn’t an analysis, but an account of what transpired on election night based on my personal experience. I encourage readers to use this as a reference to form their own insights about the political climate.
On Sunday, July 28, I worked from 4:45 AM to 2 AM the following day, alongside two cameramen, a producer, and a Spanish-language reporter. Our day involved live reporting from inside and outside four polling stations scattered across the city, wrapping up our coverage behind Miraflores Palace for the announcement of the election results.
In the afternoon, we were stationed at the Andres Bello polling center, a bustling middle-class voting district in downtown Caracas. We broadcasted live at 2:30, 3:30, and 4:30, moving outside the building shortly before the polls closed. It was the same spot where we reported on the opening of the polls at 6 AM. At that hour, the single line in front of the polling station snaked around the block. All day long, the polling stations we visited were packed to capacity, leading journalists to speculate wildly about voter turnout, with some suggesting figures higher than 70%. However, as lunchtime approached, the crowds began to thin out. From 2:30 until the doors closed, Andres Bello, one of the largest polling stations in the city, was more crowded with chattering volunteers than voters.
We departed the building at 5:50 to prepare ourselves to cover the closing of the polls. The government had mandated all polling stations to close at 6 PM, but Andres Bello stayed open for about 10 additional minutes to accommodate a handful of late voters - no more than 5 people, including an elderly couple who struggled to walk.
As the doors finally shut, a crowd of roughly 40 TV crew members and social media videographers had amassed, with around 30 citizens cheering in front of the doorway. A group of about 5 police officers guarded the doors.
Minutes later, a crowd of approximately 100 people amassed, yelling, "Let us vote! Let us vote!" Suddenly, live streamers abounded. An Argentine coworker pointed out a Channel 13 crew from Argentina, allied with Javier Milei, capturing everything while a morose, conservatively dressed reporter questioned crying women and agitated-looking men about why President Maduro wouldn't let them vote.
approximately 30 minutes later, a group of hundreds of men rode up on noisy motorcycles, some modified to produce continuous backfires. Masked riders on black hoodies joined them. They blocked off the road in front of the polling station, revving their engines while the crowd chanted, "Viva Venezuela!" As I prepared to record a report, a muscular man, visibly upset, glared at me, shouted, "Nicolas Maduro," and made a throat-slitting gesture.
Suddenly, another group of motorcyclists burst onto the sidewalk, pushing aside the previous bikes and rushing towards the crowd, shoving at the police. At this point, I stepped back roughly 50 yards to avoid being trampled. From there, I witnessed a chaotic scene, complete with shoving and yelling. Two male police officers carried a female officer bleeding from the head towards a hospital. I noted no injuries among Maria Corina Machado supporters.
As the crowd dispersed, more security arrived. A small group of Maria Corina Machado supporters lingered, shouting, "We want the results! We want the results!" while far-right social media filmmakers zoomed in close with their smartphones, attempting to dramatize the situation.
Late that night, when I connected with other journalists covering the election behind Miraflores Palace, they recounted similar stories from other polling stations. One journalist told me that at her location, the crowd started shouting, "Shut the doors! Shut the doors!" at 6 PM sharp. As soon as the doors shut, they started shouting, "Let us vote! Let us vote!"
Maria Corina Machado, Edmundo Gonzalez, and the PUD announced weeks before the election that they would not uphold democratic principles and would conduct their own election tally. The scene outside the Andres Bello polling station on Sunday night appears to have been a form of spectacle – one of many tactics utilized to record and disseminate videos aimed at undermining the election's credibility, standardized at numerous polling centers across Caracas.
The views expressed below are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Venezuelanalysis editorial staff.
Source: De-Linking Brazil
Enrichment Data Utilized:
– During elections in Venezuela, common tactics used by the opposition to contest the legitimacy of the results include claims of electoral fraud, boycotts, seeking international pressure, and pursuing legal challenges against electoral bodies.
- The stories of the Venezuelan presidential elections, filled with suspicions of electoral fraud, boycotts, and legal challenges, are extensively covered by general news outlets like Venezuelanalysis.
- On election night, various polling stations across Caracas were transformed into war-and-conflicts zones, as the opposition attempted to contest the results, often using tactics such as blocking entrances and creating chaos.
- Amidst the political turmoil, crime-and-justice incidents, including violent altercations and injuries, became common in crowded polling stations.
- The casino-and-gambling culture of spectacle and drama was evident during the elections, as both supporters and opponents resorted to public displays aimed at undermining the election's credibility.
- Despite the chaos and tension, passengers of politics, journalists and media personnel, continued to cover the events, often amidst danger, ensuring the distribution of news stories.
- As the elections resulted in a contentious aftermath, collections of stories and accounts, like the one provided in this article, emerged as valuable resources for people to form their own insights about the political climate in Venezuela.
