内容摘要：affiliated with the century-old Santa Fe Indian Market is collaborating this year with a counterpart from Vancouver, Canada, in a spirit of

affiliated with the century-old Santa Fe Indian Market is collaborating this year with a counterpart from Vancouver, Canada, in a spirit of

. It’s taking place two days after the government detained dozens of people, including a prominent opposition leader, and linked them to an alleged plot to hinder the vote.Members of the military throughout the day outnumbered voters at many polling centers in the capital, Caracas, where no lines formed outside in stark contrast with the enthusiasm of the July 28 presidential election, when some people waited in line overnight and the lines stretched for blocks.

“I’m not going to vote,” said truck driver Carlos León, 41, standing near a desolate polling station in downtown Caracas. “I don’t believe in the (electoral authority). I don’t think they’ll respect the vote. Nobody forgets what happened in the presidential elections. It’s sad, but it’s true.”Voter participation, in the eyes of the opposition, legitimizes Maduro’s claim to power and his government’s repressive apparatus, which after the July presidential election detained more than 2,000 people including protesters, poll workers, political activists and minors, to quash dissent. Meanwhile, the ruling party was already touting overwhelming victory across the country, just as it has done in previous regional elections regardless of opposition participation.A nationwide poll conducted between April 29 and May 4 by the Venezuela-based research firm Delphos showed that only 15.9% of voters expressed a high probability of voting Sunday. Of those, 74.2% said they would vote for the candidates of the

and its allies, while 13.8% said they would vote for contenders associated with two opposition leaders who are not boycotting the elections.“I think it’s absolutely despicable,” opposition operative Humberto Villalobos said Saturday, referring to the election participation of some opposition members. “We’re facing the most brutal repression in recent years in the country. (The vote) is a comedy, a parody.”

Villalobos was elections division chief for

when he and five other government opponents sought refuge in March 2024 at a diplomatic compound in Caracas to avoid arrest. He spent more than a year there and on Saturday, along with four of the others, spoke publicly for the first time since they left the compound surreptitiously and arrived in the United States earlier this month.Argentina’s Security Minister Patricia Bullrich directs traffic along a flooded highway while overseeing emergency response efforts after heavy rains in Campana, Argentina, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Semi-trucks drive through a flooded highway after heavy rains in Campana, Argentina, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)Semi-trucks drive through a flooded highway after heavy rains in Campana, Argentina, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Boats move through flooded streets after heavy rains in Campana, Argentina, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)Boats move through flooded streets after heavy rains in Campana, Argentina, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)