Maduro Votes In Sunday Election, Calls On Venezuelans To Support Country's Sovereignty

MEXICO CITY (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd November, 2021) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has visited a polling station in the capital, Caracas, calling on Venezuelans to vote in the Sunday elections.

"In the company of my family and with great joy, I exercised my right to vote. The process was super quick and easy," Maduro said on Twitter on Sunday, posting a picture of himself casting his ballot.

He called on Venezuelans to vote in order to support the country's sovereignty and true democracy.

The Russian observers at the Sunday elections told Sputnik that no violations have been observed during the voting and that the turnout appeared to be rather high.

On Saturday, Maduro said EU observers who had arrived to monitor the municipal and regional elections in Venezuela for the first time in 15 years, must adhere to the rule of law and not disrupt the sovereign voting process.

A total of 42 national political movements and 64 regional parties are participating in the Sunday elections, including the right-wing opposition, which controlled the country's parliament in 2016-2021.

Maduro said on Sunday that he currently sees no conditions for the resumption of dialogue with the opposition, particularly taking into account the kidnapping of Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab.

Saab was en route to Iran on a humanitarian mission for the Venezuela government when he was arrested during a fuel stop in Cape Verde last year, on a US extradition warrant. In September, the Constitutional Court of Cape Verde rejected an appeal by Saab's lawyers, thereby supporting his extradition to the United States.

The Venezuelan diplomat, who is a close ally of President Nicolas Maduro, was extradited to the United States in October to stand trial in Florida over corruption and embezzlement charges that were brought against him in July of 2019.

Maduro has said Saab was kidnapped as he was detained without an arrest warrant and vowed to seek the help of international organizations to fight for his freedom. The Venezuelan government has suspended participation in talks with the opposition over Saab's arrest.