Venezuela votes in regional election under international eye

Venezuelans have cast ballots for thousands of local races under the scrutiny of international observers in an election that for the first time in four years included major opposition participation

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Under the scrutiny of international observers, Venezuelans cast ballots for thousands of local races in elections that for the first time in four years included major opposition participation, a move that divided the already fractured bloc confronting President Nicolás Maduro.

More than 130 international monitors, mostly from the European Union, fanned out across the South American nation Sunday to watch electoral conditions such as fairness, media access, campaign activities and disqualification of candidates. Their presence was among a series of moves meant to build confidence in Venezuela’s long-tarnished electoral system, but turnout was still low.

The president of the National Electoral Council, Pedro Calzadilla, said early Monday that around 42%, or about 8.15 million of the more than 21 million registered voters participated in the election.

“It gives me a little more confidence that they respect our right to vote and respect our vote because we want this to change,” hospital worker Pedro Martinez, 56, said of the observers’ work. Yet he understood why few people were in line at the polling center in an eastern Caracas neighborhood that typically votes against Maduro and his allies: Opposition leaders “fight amongst themselves.”