Venezuela: Urrutia Overtakes Maduro According to One Poll

Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, recently appointed opposition leader in Venezuela, has overtaken Nicolas Maduro. This was revealed in a poll conducted by the Venezuelan institute Meganalysis ahead of the July 28, 2024 elections that will elect Venezuela’s next president, a role Maduro has held since 2013.

Urrutia is the candidate chosen by a coalition of opposition parties after leader Maria Corina Machado was unable to run because the judiciary barred her from holding public office for 15 years. According to the poll, Urrutia receives 32.4% of voting intentions against 11.2% of voting intentions for Maduro. But the situation is not so linear: 33.1% said they did not know who to vote for, while 19.3% abstained. 53.2% said they did not know Urrutia, and Machado, who, as mentioned, will not be able to run, was considered by 75.9% of the sample to be the most “credible and trustworthy” politician, and only 6% trust Maduro.

Many people don’t know Urrutia, but know Machado well, who actually continues to hold rallies in various parts of the country despite not being able to run.

The election campaign of Maduro’s main opponent has only just begun, as his candidacy was officially nominated only a few days ago.

“The challenge before us is to bet on the reconstruction of Venezuela,” Gonzalez Urrutia said in a video taken by South American media. “No one can remain indifferent to the situation of millions of our compatriots, poverty that expands while inflation persists and currency loses its real value, health and education services are cut, exacerbating inequality, water and electricity services are cut, damaging daily life and hindering economic growth, families are separated by mass emigration even at the risk of their existence.” His political “program”: “We seek a transition, in which the freedom of political prisoners, the return of exiles, and the adaptation of Venezuela’s political system to the needs of the country are guaranteed.”