In our first Dispatch you’ll be hearing directly from members of the Venezuela Analysis team who were on the ground covering the election in the capital and surrounding region where the United Socialist Party secured an important victory in Venezuela’s regional and local elections on Sunday, winning at least 19 of the 23 governorships.

The 42.3% turnout was twelve points higher than December’s parliamentary elections, bucking a recent downwards trend. Sunday’s vote saw a wider electoral offer than on past occasions, with 111 parties running including the US-backed hard-right which returned to the ballot on the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) ticket. 

Sunday’s vote was overseen by over 300 international observers from 55 countries and a host of international organizations, including the Carter Center, the Latin American Council of Electoral Experts (CEELA) and the European Union (EU).

Song credit:

Embandolaos - Los Caimanes Negros