On Sunday, thousands of Venezuelans gathered outside Herriman City Hall in Utah, anticipating the results of a presidential election in Venezuela.
For 25 years, Venezuelans have suffered under poor socioeconomic conditions related to economic mismanagement and foreign sanctions. Today, around 82% of Venezuelans live in poverty and 53% of Venezuelans live in extreme poverty, per a United Nations release. According to the International Organization for Migration, 6.1 million Venezuelans have migrated out of the country due to these conditions.
Much of the economic collapse was precipitated by government actions under President Nicolás Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chavez. This year, according to polls, many Venezuelans hoped to vote Maduro out as they supported his rival, Edmundo Gonzalez.
How did Venezuelans show up in Herriman?
The scene outside Herriman City Hall looked like a celebration. Among the crowds were food trucks, people with face paint, and people playing music and dancing. People showed up with signs encouraging Venezuelans to vote for Gonzalez with messages like “No pude votar/ Vota para mi” (I can’t vote/Vote for me).
At the demonstration, attendees listened to speeches made by those in their community as well as performances. Video coverage of the event can be viewed on the Utah Zolanos and ComandoConVzla Instagram pages. The two organizations provide Venezuelans in Utah with news, community and resources. Ahead of the election they planned Sunday’s event, with permission from the city, to bring Venezuelans together in support of free and fair elections.
With many Venezuelan embassies and consulates in the U.S. closed, it is difficult for Venezuelans in the U.S. to vote in their country’s elections. According to Utah Zolanos, a Venezuelan media source in Utah, this state of limbo has left many feeling frustrated about their options as far as helping their home country goes. Sunday’s demonstration, though, gave them the opportunity to show up for their country and speak out “for democracy.”
Utah Zolanos employed the motto, “We can’t vote, but we can support,” in a flyer posted on Instagram.
What happened in Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election?
After the election on July 28, Maduro and Gonzalez both claimed victory, though the national electoral authority declared Maduro the victor late in the night. The organization said Maduro received 51% of the vote, but some doubt the validity of the election results.
Gonzalez said, “The Venezuelans and the entire world know what happened,” per The Associated Press. “Our struggle continues and we will not rest until the will of the Venezuelan people is respected.”
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, whom Maduro previously banned from public office, said, per Reuters, that Gonzalez won 70% of the vote as independent exit polls indicated that he had overwhelming public support.
Edison Research, for example, collected poll results from 6,846 voters at over 100 polling locations that showed Gonzalez winning 65% of the vote and Maduro receiving 31%. Another firm, Meganalisis, also showed Gonzalez winning 65% of the vote, with Maduro at 14%.
According to Reuters, poll station workers “had raised questions ahead of the vote as to whether it would be fair, saying decisions by electoral authorities and the arrests of opposition staff were meant to create obstacles.”
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also expressed concern regarding election results.
“We’ve seen the announcement just a short while ago by the Venezuelan electoral commission,” he said, per Reuters. “We have serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people.”
Vice President Kamala Harris said in a post on X, “The United States stands with the people of Venezuela who expressed their voice in today’s historic presidential election. The will of the Venezuelan people must be respected. Despite the many challenges, we will continue to work toward a more democratic, prosperous, and secure future for the people of Venezuela.”
But Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican, said the Biden-Harris administration mistakenly eased sanctions on Venezuela.
“Biden & Harris broadly eased Trump sanctions on Maduro regime as part of a “deal” for elections in #Venezuela,” he wrote in a post on X. “Today was that election and it was a complete fraud. The latest example of how our enemies have suckered Biden and Harris repeatedly over the last four years.”
How do Venezuelans in Venezuela feel about the election results?
Across Venezuela, people have begun to protest, some banging pots and pans from their homes and others marching to the president’s palace, per BBC.
In Maracaibo, Dalia Romero told Reuters, “Maduro yesterday shattered my greatest dream, to see my only daughter again, who went to Argentina three years ago. I stayed here alone with breast cancer so that she could work there and send me money for treatment.”
“Now I know that I’m going to die alone without seeing her again.”
“We woke up sad,” another Maracaibo resident, Ender Nunez, said. “We’re going to be in this nightmare for six more years and what hurts the most is that they robbed us.”
A man named Miguel told BBC, “We want a better future for the youth because if not they will leave the country. One where they can work well and earn well. We have a rich country and he is destroying everything.”
