Venezuelans vote in highly charged election amid fraud worries

Venezuelans will go to the polls on Sunday in the most consequential election in a quarter-century of socialist party rule, with President Nicolas Maduro confident of victory even as the opposition has attracted impassioned support and warned of possible irregularities.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has been the star of the coalition campaign, even after a ban on holding public office forced her to pass the torch to candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, a 74-year-old ex-diplomat known for his calm demeanour.

Gonzalez has won backing even from some former supporters of the ruling party, but the opposition and observers have questioned whether the vote will be fair, saying decisions by electoral authorities and the arrests of opposition staff are meant to create obstacles.

Maduro – whose 2018 reelection is considered fraudulent by the United States, among others - has said the country has the world's most transparent electoral system and has warned of a "bloodbath" if he were to lose.

People attending Maduro's closing rally in Caracas on Thursday spoke enthusiastically of his late mentor - long-time socialist President Hugo Chavez - and said Maduro, in power since Chavez' death in 2013, was continuing his predecessor's legacy of helping the poor.

"Nicolas Maduro is building up the country and continuing the legacy of Commander Chavez," said Conde Miranda, 54, who travelled from southern Ciudad Guayana to attend.

Others alluded to a more challenging environment.

"Maduro has done both good things and bad things, the problem is the people below him," said 30-year-old public employee Alejandro Goldteims.

Maduro's government has presided over an economic collapse, the migration of about a third of the population, and a sharp deterioration in diplomatic relations, crowned by sanctions imposed by the United States, European Union and others which have crippled an already struggling oil industry.

Maduro has said he will guarantee peace and economic growth, making Venezuela less dependent on oil income.

But many Venezuelans are tired of high inflation and public service cuts.

"There is a fatigue about this 25-year path, people don't see us moving ahead, the situation is worse all the time," said Angel Luna, a city councillor in the central state of Carabobo, after attending an opposition campaign event this month.

"My pension doesn't stretch to anything at all," said Carmen Puente, 69, who is retired but sells candy to make ends meet. "Getting old in this country is a drama, it's very sad, there is no social security."

The minimum wage is equivalent to $3.50 per month, while basic food for a family of five is estimated to cost about $500.

Gonzalez and Machado, who have promised major changes and said a fresh start may motivate migrants to return, have urged people to hold "vigils" at polling stations. They have said they expect the military to uphold the results of the vote.

Venezuela's military has always supported Maduro, a 61-year-old former bus driver and foreign minister, and there have been no public signs that leaders of the armed forces are breaking from the government.

Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino has said the armed forces will respect the outcome of the election.

Twenty-two people have been arrested since Friday "in the context of the electoral process," Gonzalo Himiob, the vice-president of human rights organisation Foro Penal, said on X, adding that at least 15 remain detained.

Some people were already lining up outside polling stations late on Saturday night, according to posts on social media. Reuters could not independently verify the reports.    

Venezuela's attorney general this week denied participating in political persecution and said the election should be peaceful.

Public spending has grown only slightly during the campaign, analysts say, a change from past campaigns when spending was generous. 

Maduro says he has opened 70 public works projects, but many have been renovations of already existing schools, hospitals and roads, according to events broadcast on state television.

Results could be published on Sunday night or in the following days. Polls will be open between 6 am (1000 GMT) to 6 pm.