Venezuela gears up for election amid hopes Maduro could go

Authoritarian Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, is running again in this Sunday’s election. His time in office so far has been dominated by severe economic problems, political instability and international sanctions.

“These are neither free nor fair elections. The opposition was not able to freely nominate its candidates,” Luis Carlos Diaz, a Venezuelan journalist and digital rights defender, told DW.

Carlos Diaz said opposition leader Maria Corina Machado could have posed a threat to Maduro, but she was barred from taking part in the election by Venezuela’s Supreme Court in January. Machado is known for her harsh criticism of Maduro’s government and her demands for far reaching reforms.