Venezuelans gather in Spain with slogans for freedom in their country

Several thousand Venezuelans gathered this Sunday in Madrid and other Spanish cities to demand freedom for their country on an election day in which they are competing for the presidency of Venezuela the current president, Nicolas Maduroand the opposition leader, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutiafavorite in most polls.

The rally in Madrid, called by the Venezuelan opposition, took place without incident in Madrid’s emblematic Plaza de Colón.

In a festive atmosphere, the protesters, who carried flags, caps and t-shirts with the colors of the Venezuelan flag, chanted slogans such as “Venezuela, freedom”, “see you at home” or “damn the soldier who points his gun at the people”.

The event was attended by, among other Spanish politicians, Miguel Ángel Tellado, parliamentary spokesman for the conservative Popular Party, who stressed that there is a “human tide of Venezuelans who want change.”

Nearly 25,000 Venezuelans were registered to vote today at various polling stations in several Spanish cities, in a day that passed off as normal, according to Antonio Ledezma, former mayor of Caracas and spokesman for the opposition in Spain, who spoke to EFE.

Of the more than 400,000 people born in Venezuela and of legal age residing in Spain, only 24,770 were able to register due to bureaucratic obstacles.

Among them was Ledezma himself, who today went to the polling station in Madrid to support his compatriots, knowing that he would not be able to vote since he was unable to register because he did not have a valid passport.

Sunday’s elections will determine whether Maduro renews his hold on power after 25 years of Chavismo or gives way to the opposition grouped in the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) led by Edmundo González Urrutia, the favorite in the polls.

Source: EFE Agency