Scores of Venezuelans cast their votes at their embassy in the capital yesterday as President Nicolas Maduro faced his toughest electoral challenge in decades while vying for another six-year term in office.
Most of the voters who spoke to Guardian Media have been in Trinidad and Tobago for at least 20 years.
By noon, around 100 of the 350 eligible voters had shown up.
Many voters expressed their desire for change, while others were concerned about the fairness of the process. The electoral process began with citizens of the Bolivarian Republic visiting the embassy at Victoria Avenue, Port-of-Spain, when the polls opened from 6 am to 6 pm.
Before entering the embassy, voters had to check a list on a board under a tent on the sidewalk to ensure their identification number was on the list. Their details were verified a second time once inside before they could vote.
Forty-three-year-old Royal Bank of Canada employee, Lisbeth Kong, said these polls were very important as an exercise of their democratic rights.
It was also an emotional day for those who want change in their homeland, where most of their loved ones remain. Ommairangel Medina, a 46-year-old bilingual customer care representative, explained that her mother’s passing made her hesitant to vote. However, she chose to show up for her people, never forgetting where she came from.
“I will like that Venezuelans have more opportunities in education, health, to go forward, to improve in life,” she said.
Other voters mentioned that the voting process itself was smooth, but there were concerns about the integrity of the polls. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 7.7 million people have left Venezuela since the United States imposed sanctions that crippled the economy. In 2020, 16,000 Venezuelans registered to work in T&T. However, an independent analysis provided by acaps.org suggested that close to 50,000 people have settled here. This is why one voter found it unreasonable that only 350 Venezuelans were eligible to vote in this country.
“I’m sure they have more Venezuelans here. I don’t know what is the data that the government is using here but I have heard like is like 50,000. This 50,000, 300 people that they only entitled to vote, that is not even one per cent,” said 56-year-old Caribbean Airlines pilot Oscar Rios.
However, Sofia Figueroa-Leon, an observer for the Venezuelan Opposition at the polling station, said the voter turnout has been significantly higher than in previous years and expressed confidence in a transparent process.
“So far it’s been fair. So we, the Venezuelan citizens in Venezuela and in other countries are hoping for a change. Let’s hope that happens.”
Asked what sort of change she hoped to see, Figueroa-Leon said “a new president!”
More than 21 million Venezuelans were registered to vote yesterday
According to an article in the Associated Press, Venezuela’s opposition leader was beaming with optimism.
“This is the decisive moment,” said María Corina Machado, flanked by presidential candidate Edmundo González at their campaign headquarters.
Machado was careful not to claim victory before any announcement of results.
Before the polls were set to close at 6 pm, incumbent leader Nicolas Maduro called on Venezuelans to vote.
“There’s an hour left to go vote,” the president said via the platform X.
While the polls were expected to close at 6 pm, by law they had to remain open once voters were inside a polling station.
