Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro. March 6, 2017. Xinhua/SIPA USA/PA Images. All rights reserved.
The Venezuelan government’s electoral machinery - a ferocious, tightly-knit, socio-political power structure coalesced around the Great Patriotic Pole, led by the most powerful political party in Venezuela’s contemporary history: the PSUV (estimated membership: 5 million) – has set himself an aim: ensuring 10 million votes for President Maduro at the May 20 elections.
This means targeting the so-called Ni-Nis, a large majority of voters who consider themselves “neither Left nor Right”, and whose first electoral choice is a non-existing, independent candidate, not aligned with the traditional parties. Their dislike for Maduro is matched by their distrust of the opposition leaders.
