France24: Low turnout predicted as Venezuelans elect municipal councils
Analysts were expecting a record low voter turnout Sunday in Venezuela's municipal council elections, a vote in which opposition parties were banned from participating.
The elections come one month before President Nicolas Maduro begins his second term (2019-2025) in office after winning an election in May considered illegitimate by the political opposition and unrecognised by the European Union, the United States and most of Latin America.
Maduro's ruling socialists are hoping to strengthen their grip on the 335 municipal councils, one quarter of which are controlled by the opposition.
Pro-government candidates "will capture the majority of the municipal chambers with a historic level of voter abstention," predicted Felix Seijas, head of Delphos pollsters.
A government victory seems so certain that there have been hardly any political paid campaign ads. The campaign was waged "on WhatsApp, with neighborhood meetings and corner leafleting", Seijas said.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: I was not even aware of today's municipal elections in Venezuela until my one contact in Caracus emailed me this morning telling me that there is very little (if any) international coverage of this news story (France24 is the only wire service reporting on it right now). My contact is telling me that no one is bothering to go and vote. Everyone knows the entire process is fixed, and while state run propaganda networks like Telesur (above video) are giving the impression that this is an open election, most opposition candidates have been banned from running and/or are in jail.
