Amid fears of foul play, Venezuela girds for uncertain election
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00:00With this placard, a self-professed former government supporter calls for change in an
00:04economically ravaged country. In Venezuela's second city, Maracaibo, the opposition united
00:10against President Nicolás Maduro took to the streets on Tuesday with a message of hope
00:15ahead of Sunday's election. Their candidate is Edmundo González, 74, a former ambassador
00:21and a last-minute replacement for MarĂa Corina Machado, the opposition leader ruled ineligible
00:27by the courts.
00:29It is time for Venezuela to find reconciliation among Venezuelans. Enough with the shouting.
00:38Enough with the insults.
00:40González is ahead in the polls, but Nicolás Maduro, the successor to Hugo Chávez in power
00:45since 2013, is not going to go quietly. The opposition accuse him of trying to hinder
00:51the running of the election, and the president appears to not intend to easily hand over
00:56power if the opposition wins, having frequently made reference to ensuing chaos.
01:04On July 18, the future of Venezuela for the next 50 years will be decided, whether it
01:12will be a Venezuela of peace or a Venezuela that is convulsive, violent, and full of conflict.
01:21Peace or war.
01:24Last week he even spoke of a possible bloodbath, raising alarm among other South American leaders,
01:30including Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Long one of Latin America's
01:34richest countries because of its oil resources, Venezuela has now mired in an unprecedented
01:40economic crisis that has driven one quarter of its population to leave the country in
01:44the past decade. Those that have stayed will decide the country's future in Sunday's vote.