Venezuela heads to polls in parliamentary election with Juan Guaidó boycotting the vote

A military officer patrols a polling station in Caracas

Credit: Leonardo Fernandez Viloria /Getty Images South America 

Venezuelans headed to the polls in parliamentary elections that will almost certainly give control of the institution to President Nicolas Maduro.

Maduro, who already has the loyalty of the courts, the military, prosecutors and other institutions, is seeking to load the National Assembly with members of his United Socialist Party of Venezuela, and critics say he’s guaranteed that by rigging the system to smother the last remnants of democracy in Venezuela.

An opposition coalition led by U.S.-backed politician Juan Guaido is boycotting the vote. And several nations, including the U.S. and European Union, have already declared the vote a sham.

"How’s Maduro’s fraud going?" Guaido tweeted, showing pictures of an empty polling place. "Failed."

Maduro has campaigned for his party’s candidates — including his son and wife — promising to finally silence the right-wing opposition, which he accuses of inciting violent protests and inviting U.S. sanctions.

"There are those who plot coups, those who ask for military intervention," Maduro said on Saturday night in a broadcast on state television, dismissing criticism of the election. "We say: Votes yes — war no, bullets no."

Juan Guaido, president of the National Assembly who swore himself as the leader of Venezuela, smiles while departing a news conference in Caracas

Credit: Carlos Becerra /Bloomberg

Guaido’s opposition movement is holding a referendum over several days after the election. It will ask Venezuelans whether they want to end Maduro’s rule and hold new presidential elections.

It’s unclear whether either vote will draw masses of people as polls indicate that neither Maduro nor Guaido are popular among Venezuelans at a time the nation’s economic and political crisis is deepening despite having the world’s largest oil reserves.

More than 5 million people have fled the country in recent years, the world’s largest migration after that of war-torn Syria. The International Monetary Fund projects a 25 per cent decline this year in Venezuela’s GDP, while hyperinflation diminishes the value of its currency, the bolivar, now worth less than a millionth of a dollar on the free market.

On Saturday, the White House National Security Council said the election scheduled for Sunday was fraudulent.

"This election only serves to keep Maduro in power and does nothing to build a better future for the people of Venezuela," the council tweeted. "The U.S. will continue its unwavering demands for freedom, basic human rights, the rule of law, and truly fair elections in Venezuela."

International bodies like the European Union have refused to send observers to Sunday’s election, saying the conditions for a democratic process don’t exist.