María Corina Machado supporters after a failed street rally in Petare, Miranda state, disrupted by Chavista activists. July 15, 2023. Photo: Cronica Uno.
With only two months until Venezuela’s far-right opposition primary elections, candidate María Corina Machado appears to have a sure victory according to all polls. However, this “massive support” reflected in the polls is not seen in her political rallies.
Since the announcement of the primary elections, various polls have positioned Machado as the possible winner of the internal opposition elections with a wide margin from the second candidate.
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Recently, the firm Meganálisis indicated that Machado has a voting intention of 32.88%. Meanwhile, Henrique Capriles had 4.41% and Delsa Solórzano had 4.34%.
A similar result was found in a Delphospoll conducted in July, showing Machado as the winner with 51.9% and Capriles with 15.5%.
🇻🇪 ¿Quién es el principal líder de la Oposición?
🟣 María Corina = 51.9%
🟡 Capriles = 15.5%
🔵 Manuel Rosales = 6.6%
⚫️ Benjamín Rausseo = 1.9%
⚪️ Carlos Prosperi = 1.2%
🟠 Juan Guaidó = 0.8%
👤 Otros = 2%
❌ Ninguno = 8.9%
❓ No sabe = 11.2%📌 Encuesta – Delphos. pic.twitter.com/WEZHUFUhlI
— 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖 (@polianalitica) July 8, 2023
Polls have been a controversial issue in this opposition electoral race. After July, candidate Delsa Solórzano stated that some pre-candidates pay for these polls. However, she did not specify who.
The polls were not accurately reflected this weekend in Zulia state, where Machado, the founder of Vente Venezuela, held a political rally that did not have the expected attendance.
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María Corina Machado organized a political rally in Santa Lucía, Maracaibo, Zulia state. The rally did not generate participation from the people of the community, as she had to transfer people from other places in the city of Maracaibo.
For this mobilization, they used 36 buses and only managed to fill slightly more than a block. They called on the people to join at 4:00 p.m., and at 4:30 p.m., the area was still empty.
Insumos de @luisaciandiaz sobre el mítin de MCM en Maracaibo:
-Contaron 36 buses para movilización
-Llenaron una cuadra del bulevar
-Aprox. 1200 personas asistieron.
-La comunidad no asistió toda porque este evento coincidió con un acto de la alcaldía en la vereda. https://t.co/72lCJTWyTm— Andrés Eduardo (@andreseduardog_) August 13, 2023
Zulia state is vital in Venezuelan elections since it has the largest electoral roll. No other region in the country has so many voters.
For a candidate to win the primaries, it is necessary to have a significant mobilization of people, not just to stand out in the polls.
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón, with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SF
