Venezuela’s government is facing its toughest electoral test in decades. The outcome will either lead to a seismic shift in politics or extend the policies that caused the world’s worst peacetime economic collapse by six more years.
Whether it is President Nicolás Maduro who is chosen, or his main opponent, former diplomat Edmundo González, the election will have ripple effects throughout the Americas.
Polls were expected to begin closing at 6 p.m., but two hours later Venezuela’s opposition is calling on authorities to close the polls and begin counting ballots. By law, polling centers can remain open if there are voters still in line.
