Opposition parties hope to win after years of repression

“He will rot in prison. No one will take him out.”

That’s what the prison guards told the family of Emirlendris Benítez. He disappeared in Venezuela in August 2018 after he and his partner – a taxi driver – were arrested while transporting another person in the city center.

He was falsely accused of plotting to assassinate the president and, without a fair trial, was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

When she was taken to prison, she was pregnant. The guards beat her stomach despite her protest, and she miscarried.

His family tells us that he has been subjected to torture in prison, including having his nails removed with a hammer.

The human rights organization Foro Penal says that there were 15,700 arbitrary political arrests in Venezuela between 2014 and 2023 and hundreds of people are still incarcerated.

It is one of the many ways the government suppresses dissent.

The BBC asked the government and the prosecutor for comment or an interview and did not receive a response.

President Nicolás Maduro has been in power since taking over from his mentor Hugo Chávez in 2013 and is seeking re-election on Sunday.

His portraits lined the streets, and on the last day of his campaign in Caracas hundreds of buses were paid to transport people from all over the country to his last rally where free food parcels were given as an incentive to attend.

Venus, a woman in the crowd, says Mr Maduro’s PSUV party has given him many “advantages”.

“We are here to support Nicolas Maduro until the end,” he said.

Iván, another supporter, says “to those who oppose us, those who say there is no democracy, that there is a dictatorship here… this revolution will continue to shine”.

Even Mr Maduro’s supporters, however, have come under attack from the opposition.

A member of the Emirlendris family, Ana (not her real name), spoke to us on condition of anonymity.

His family voted for Nicolás Maduro, and Hugo Chávez before him, but he says now “everything changed because we saw how justice works in Venezuela”.

“The government is desperate because it knows it has lost. Many people have opened their eyes and see the reality we live in Venezuela. In the name of God Almighty, I hope that the new president will win for a better Venezuela.”

Last election was widely seen as free and unfair, many countries refused to recognize Mr Maduro as president, and the US imposed sanctions on Venezuela.

For the first time in years, opposition parties are feeling strong and leading in the polls – making it difficult for the ruling party to boast.

But the government has used various tactics with the armed forces, electoral authorities and the judiciary to crack down on the opposition. It includes arresting critics, uninvited EU election observers, and preventing millions of Venezuelans overseas from registering to vote.

Alcides Bracho is a teacher who was arrested on July 4, 2022 after attending a protest demanding better wages.

“We’re talking 800 days without a raise, and a salary of $3.50 a month,” he recalls.

But after the protest, he was arrested and accused of “terrorism”.

“They came to the house, about 22 people with long guns. Guns that looked like the ones in action movies or boy video games. Without a search warrant.”

He was forced to stand naked for 72 hours while in prison, without food, water or a toilet after being sentenced to 16 years in prison for “conspiracy” and “criminal activity”.

“I thought I was going to die.”

“If you want to start a business in Venezuela, let it be a prison. They charge you for everything. The state does not give you food,” he said about the lack of essential items in the prison.

He was finally released in a prisoner exchange with the US last December in which 19 political prisoners were released in exchange for Alex Saab, a suspected money-launderer and close associate of President Maduro who was indicted in the US.

Despite what happened to him, Mr Bracho wants to keep fighting.

“If we are all silent, if no one does it, there is no fighting.”

“There is a height of oppression. We are very concerned. It’s not like I can start my life again, I don’t have a safe place.”

The leader of the opposition, María Corina Machado, has been banned from running in Sunday’s election, a large number of her team has been arrested, and even the food shops that cater to them have been closed.

Most television and radio stations are state-owned, and some digital media are blocked.

Bus TV is a campaign of volunteers who read “real news” on buses across the country.

Andrés Brancovic is one of the volunteers. He thinks that “censorship” may affect the election.

“Twitter is one of the most used applications in Venezuela right now, because people can post what they want and see what happens. But people who have national TV in their homes – they don’t see what’s happening with the opposition.”

He says: “All issues are in favor of the state.”

Despite having the largest known oil reserves in the world, Venezuela is very poor. More than half of Venezuelans live in poverty, and nearly eight million people have fled their homes – sparking a migration crisis across the American border.

Jonathan Marcano lives with his family of five in one small room.

He goes fishing every day with a rubber tire, often in dangerous waters, to feed his family.

He can’t buy a boat, or a single oil. He relies on water to bring him back to earth every day.

“I always vote for the people in power. Chávez encouraged me to trust me.”

However, now he has not decided: “Help does not come, what you need most does not come to you.” I was very disappointed in the party.”

President Maduro blames US sanctions for the country’s woes, but critics also blame corruption and economic mismanagement.

There are reasons why Western countries want to improve relations with Venezuela – the oil and natural resources the country has, the fact that Iran, China and Russia rely on Venezuela as an ally in Western countries, and because they do not want the US immigration problem to get worse. .

But it is unlikely that the sanctions will be lifted and the government will see if the vote is seen as unfair again.