With less than a month to go before presidential elections in Venezuela, an independent study recently conducted Clear path strategies Reveals that the opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, emerging as the clear favorite with a significant advantage over Nicolás Maduro. The study also highlights a widespread desire for change among Venezuelan voters 66% indicated they wanted a new direction for the country.
Conducted from May 23 to June 5, 2024, the survey included 1,500 face-to-face interviews with registered voters in Venezuela. The results show that two-thirds of voters want to change course compared to the current direction of the Maduro regime. Additionally, 67% of registered voters said they were likely to participate in the July 28 presidential election, reflecting high motivation to vote.
Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia has emerged as the unifier of the opposition parties. Despite being in the public sector for less than three months, he has achieved a record 96% approve and 54% highly favor, compared to Maduro's 35% advantage. This consolidation of support was crucial to his campaign.
A ClearPath Strategies survey shows that González Urrutia He leads by a 21-point margin among likely voters, receiving 56% of the vote to Maduro's 35%.. No other candidate achieved more than 1% support, underscoring the polarization between the two main contenders.
Consolidation of opposition votes has been a determining factor in Gonzalez Urrutia's campaign. He managed to consolidate the support of opposition leader María Corina Machado, who maintains high favorable ratings. This dynamic allowed González Urrutia captured 94% of the opposition's safe votesEstablishing a solid camp against the current president.
The survey also shows that a majority of voters expect Gonzalez Urrutia to win the election. 55% of confidence voters and 91% of opposition voters believe that González Urrutia will be the next president, contradicting opinion polls from previous elections in Venezuela.
The legitimacy of the July 28 elections will largely depend on the participation of Gonzalez Urrutia. Majorities of non-Chavista voters (88%) and opposition voters (91%) consider the elections to be unfair if González Urrutia's participation is barred. This highlights the importance of his candidacy for elections that are considered fair and representative.
With only six weeks left in the campaign, Edmundo González Urrutia is the undisputed favorite in the July 28 presidential election.. His advantage over Maduro and consolidation of the opposition vote give him a strong position ahead of the election. Furthermore, the desire for change expressed by the majority of Venezuelan voters will be a decisive factor in these elections.
Last Thursday, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia refused to sign the treaty proposed by Maduro is forcing candidates to recognize the results of the July 28 vote.
On June 20, Maduro approved a deal with seven lesser-known candidates. González Urrutia has indicated that he will not sign it because the Savista regime has already rescinded the invitation to abide by the Barbados treaty and vote for the European Union.
The candidate for the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), a coalition that brings together the main opposition organizations in Venezuela, said the agreement was “a sign of bias that characterizes an unequal campaign”. And he added “Agreement cannot be imposed unilaterally, but must emerge from respectful dialogue”. However, he said there was no doubt that he would yield to the will of the people. Gonzalez leads Maduro by 20 percentage points in voter polls.
