Thousands of Venezuelans enjoyed a democratic celebration in Ecuador this Sunday by going to polling stations in Quito and Guayaquil to choose the presidential candidate of the opposition to the regime of President Nicolás Maduro during primaries.

In Quito, a long line of people, many of them dressed in the colors of the flag (yellow, blue and red), formed in the morning outside a colosseum of the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador (PUCE), which served as a constituency. the primaries in this city.

The coordinator of the Primary Commission in Ecuador, Andrés Ceballos Garzón, commented Ephe The result of the general vote is expected to be known on Monday.

“We hope to appoint a single opposition candidate to free us from the government” of Maduro, Ceballos Garzón added, after specifying that about 15,000 Venezuelans have registered in Ecuador, 7,553 of them in Quito.

“You can see the joy” on the faces of Venezuelans who came to the PUCE headquarters in Quito to vote “for the future,” he added, recalling that about 40 people participated in the organization of this election day.

In the same way, Ceballos Garzón highlighted the participation of several international observers, especially from Ecuador and the United States, who have followed the progress of the process in Quito.

Ecuadorian politician Gustavo Baroja, who participated in the process as an observer, emphasized the good progress of the vote, despite the fact that “it is not a formal organization, but rather part of the good will” of the Venezuelan migrants.

“People have come with a lot of courage, with a lot of desire, no one is stuck” in casting their votes, added Baroja, who even thought that this could become a good example that Ecuadorian political parties should take into account when holding of primaries.

“Citizen participation in politics must be fundamental because only in this way can democracy deepen,” he said.

In line with this, many Venezuelans showed their cheerful spirit and, apart from a few minor problems, the process was normal and uneventful.

Venezuelan Maruja Medina, who has lived in Ecuador for a decade, said the opposition’s primary process motivates her to “have hope of returning to our country.”

Luis Arocha agreed that there is hope for Venezuelan migrants to return to the country, although he said he is aware that “there is still a long way to go.”

Laura Montilla from Caracas criticized the Maduro regime, as did Jesús Blanco, who assured that the primaries open the possibility of “removing the people who oppress us in Venezuela.”

While Jesús Escobar said in a broken voice that the primaries have opened a way to “reconnect with the democratic thread.”

“Our only weapon is the exercise of the right to vote” to dream of “being in our country,” Escobar added, thanking Ecuador for welcoming him, although he said: “Where I want to live is in my country.”

Thirteen candidates registered for these primaries, from which Henrique Capriles and Roberto Enríquez withdrew without concluding any alliance, while Freddy Superlano withdrew and expressed his support for María Corina Machado, who led the polls during the campaign.

For these elections, the closed voter count counts just over 20 million people, inside and outside Venezuela, where voting centers have been set up in 28 countries. (JO)