Post by ratnakhatun77 on Dec 12, 2023 1:33:25 GMT -5
The Venezuelan opposition held the primaries last Sunday to choose the person who will compete next year with Nicolás Maduro for the country's presidency. Some residents abroad, mainly in American and European countries, had the opportunity to participate in the elections, in which María Corina Machado was finally elected with 93% of the votes. This is the case of Spain, where several hundred thousand Venezuelan expatriates live, of which some 55,000 make up the census of these primaries. To make their participation possible, 8 voting centers were installed in different parts of Spain: Madrid, Barcelona , Bilbao, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Málaga, Tenerife, Valencia and Vigo. They have a peculiarity: they are not standard polling stations, but alternative spaces have been chosen such as parishes, a restaurant, a fairground or a cultural center.
The largest of them is located in the capital, and also in Europe, with more than 22,000 Venezuelans registered. This is the parish o Country Email List the Santísimo Cristo de la Victoria, located on Blasco de Garay street, in the heart of the Chamberí neighborhood. It was there where the opposition leader and former political prisoner Leopoldo López voted, exiled in Madrid along with his family for three years. So did the former mayor of Caracas, Antonio Ledezma, who is also a refugee in the capital. From the parish they explain to Confidencial Digital that there is a very present Venezuelan community in it, which even has a < a i=3>brotherhood, that of the Virgin of the Valley of Madrid. In addition, since March 2021 it has housed the first relic ex ossibus (of the bones) of Blessed José Gregorio Hernández, of Venezuelan origin. It is one of the reasons why it has been the venue chosen by the National Primary Commission. Another reason is its size, with the capacity to install up to 46 polling stations.
Parish sources point out that there was a lot of movement throughout the day, but it was "well organized." They clarify that it is not a pastoral act, but that the parish simply gave up the space at the request of the Commission, and limited itself to "opening and closing the door." As in Madrid, the voting in Vigo was carried out in a parish, in this case that of Our Lady of Rocío, on Castelao Avenue. In Málaga, however, the chosen location was a restaurant. Founded on September 9, 2021, the Venezuelan restaurant La Orquídea was the headquarters where the vote took place in Andalusia. One of his three partners informs ECD that many of his clients are Spanish and foreigners, but there is also a large community of Venezuelans who frequent his restaurant. The hotelier, who arrived in Spain five years ago, asks that we not publish his name. He assures that in La Orquídea everyone knows him and there is no major problem, but "in Venezuela things are not so easy.
The largest of them is located in the capital, and also in Europe, with more than 22,000 Venezuelans registered. This is the parish o Country Email List the Santísimo Cristo de la Victoria, located on Blasco de Garay street, in the heart of the Chamberí neighborhood. It was there where the opposition leader and former political prisoner Leopoldo López voted, exiled in Madrid along with his family for three years. So did the former mayor of Caracas, Antonio Ledezma, who is also a refugee in the capital. From the parish they explain to Confidencial Digital that there is a very present Venezuelan community in it, which even has a < a i=3>brotherhood, that of the Virgin of the Valley of Madrid. In addition, since March 2021 it has housed the first relic ex ossibus (of the bones) of Blessed José Gregorio Hernández, of Venezuelan origin. It is one of the reasons why it has been the venue chosen by the National Primary Commission. Another reason is its size, with the capacity to install up to 46 polling stations.
Parish sources point out that there was a lot of movement throughout the day, but it was "well organized." They clarify that it is not a pastoral act, but that the parish simply gave up the space at the request of the Commission, and limited itself to "opening and closing the door." As in Madrid, the voting in Vigo was carried out in a parish, in this case that of Our Lady of Rocío, on Castelao Avenue. In Málaga, however, the chosen location was a restaurant. Founded on September 9, 2021, the Venezuelan restaurant La Orquídea was the headquarters where the vote took place in Andalusia. One of his three partners informs ECD that many of his clients are Spanish and foreigners, but there is also a large community of Venezuelans who frequent his restaurant. The hotelier, who arrived in Spain five years ago, asks that we not publish his name. He assures that in La Orquídea everyone knows him and there is no major problem, but "in Venezuela things are not so easy.