17 July, 2017
Foes of President Nicolas Maduro said more than 7 million Venezuelans cast symbolic votes rejecting his plan to retool the constitution in a strong but not overwhelming showing that left the opposition facing tough choices two weeks before the socialist leader seeks to reshape the political system.
Maduro, whose term is due to end in early 2019, dismissed Sunday's opposition event as an internal exercise by the opposition with no bearing on his government.
The central question before voters concerned Maduro's intention to hold an election on July 30 to choose 545 members of a citizens' body called the "Constituent Assembly" that would redo the constitution.
Voters were asked three questions at Sunday's event. Mass protests have become a almost daily occurrence in Venezuela since the crisis began in early April, after the Supreme Court, which many see as filled with pro-government judges, dissolved parliament and transferred legislative power to itself.
Calling it "a hymn to peace", Maduro said the people of Venezuela through their extensive participation in the constituent electoral process have shown that the way to solve the country's problems is through peace.
In early July, armed pro-government militias supporting Venezuela's controversial President Nicolas Maduro stormed the country's Parliament, and assaulted several opposition deputies amid the ongoing anti-government protests in the South American country.
Maduro has slammed the opposition vote as meaningless and illegitimate.
The referendum comes almost two weeks before a Maduro-backed vote for a constituent assembly that would be tasked with rewriting the constitution without the opposition controlled national assembly. In the 2013 legislative elections, the opposition also won 7.3 million votes, though Maduro eked out a win with 7.5 million.
A dry run of that election was also held Sunday, to detract from the opposition vote which the government branded "illegal".
Venezuela's opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) coalition claimed the high turnout - about a third of the 19 million eligible voters - provided a mandate for them to challenge Maduro.
"We don't want a fraudulent Constituent Assembly imposed on us".
The opposition's unofficial poll attempts to determine what Venezuelans think about key criticisms against Maduro's regime - that Venezuela's institutions, including security forces and the Supreme Tribunal of Justice top court, work in Maduro's favor; that the National Assembly has been stripped of power; and that a majority of Venezuelans support the removal of Maduro as president.
"It's part of a series of measures taken by the opposition that have had no impact on Maduro's strategy so far", said Panizza.
The opposition blamed the attack on "paramilitary groups" linked to the government. She said pro-government demonstrators then besieged those inside.
"It was frightful. We were desperate", she said.
Sunday's referendum came against the backdrop of near daily anti-government protests.
Maduro and the military dominate most state institutions but the opposition controls the congress and holds three of 23 governorships.
He says the country is the victim of an "economic war" and that opposition protests are an effort to overthrow him with USA connivance, which Washington has denied.
