t********n 发帖数: 956 | 1 Polls open in Venezuela as Maduro seeks reelection
Mariano Castillo-Profile-Image
Marilia Brocchetto, Senior News Editor, International Desk
By Mariano Castillo and Marilia Brocchetto, CNN
Updated 1215 GMT (2015 HKT) May 20, 2018
A man walks past graffiti in support of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro,
A man walks past graffiti in support of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro,
(CNN)Polls opened in Venezuela on Sunday for the nation's presidential
election.
President Nicolas Maduro is seeking reelection for a six-year term in an
electoral process that has been criticized both inside and outside Venezuela.
The main opposition coalition is boycotting the election, though Maduro is
not without challengers.
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Maduro's chief rival in Sunday's vote is Henri Falcon, a former state
governor and onetime loyalist of the ruling party who broke ranks in 2010.
Amid allegations from leaders in the region that the election process lacks
legitimacy, Maduro said the outcome will be respected.
"There has been a fierce campaign by the government of Donald Trump," Maduro
said in a news conference on Sunday. "In the United States there has been a
fierce pressure to try to besmirch the Venezuelan elections -- and they
couldn't."
Venezuelans head to the polls amid international outcry
Venezuelans head to the polls amid international outcry
The country has endured political tumult and economic misery, including food
and medicine shortages, and hyperinflation.
5 reasons why we should care about the crisis in Venezuela
5 reasons why we should care about the crisis in Venezuela
Because of the deteriorating situation, an estimated 1.6 million people fled
the country between 2015 and 2017, according to the International
Organization for Migration.
Maduro has been Venezuela's President since former President Hugo Chavez
died in 2013.
Under Chavez, the country turned toward socialism. Many Venezuelans saw him
as the hero of the poor. Before he died, Chavez picked Maduro as his
successor, which helped put Maduro over the top in the 2013 presidential
election.
Once he took power, Maduro kept up Chavez's practices such as huge welfare
programs and price controls for most goods, including food.
Marco Rubio: It's time to hasten Maduro's exit from power
Marco Rubio: It's time to hasten Maduro's exit from power
Venezuela holds the world's largest supply of crude oil -- which once seemed
like an endless gusher of cash for the government.
Plummeting oil prices crashed the country's economy in 2016. It has since
completely collapsed, and the country now finds itself in the middle of a
financial crisis. The International Monetary fund expects that inflation in
Venezuela will reach 13,000% in 2018.
Falcon was once a Chavez supporter. In 2010, he broke with the ruling party
and has been a vocal critic of the government in recent years. He believes
the way out of the financial crisis is the dollarization of the country --
pinning the country's economy on the US dollar. |
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