Tense Venezuela votes in shadow of ‘bloodbath’ warning

Venezuelans face high-stakes election amid threats of violence, with international observers blocked, raising concerns of democracy.

Venezuelans voted on July 28 between continuity in President Nicolas Maduro or change in rival Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia amid high tension following the incumbent's threat of a "bloodbath" if he loses.

Polls suggest the vote poses the biggest threat yet to 25 years of "Chavismo," the populist movement founded by Mr. Maduro's predecessor and mentor, Hugo Chavez.

But analysts say Mr. Maduro is unlikely to concede defeat, especially in the absence of immunity guarantees, with his government under investigation for human rights abuses by the International Criminal Court.

Long queues of voters formed at several ballot stations hours before polls opened at 6:00 a.m. (1530 IST) on July 28. Polls close at 6:00 p.m.

"I have been here since 4:30 in the morning, and I hope it will be a successful day," lawyer Griselda Barroso, 54, told AFP in Caracas.

"I hope there is democracy."

Mr. Maduro, 61, is seeking a third six-year term at the helm of the once wealthy petro-state that saw GDP drop 80% in a decade, pushing more than seven million of its 30 million citizens to emigrate.