Flags, motorcycles, electronic merengue and all sorts of T-shirts — including one styled as a photo collage of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour — have all been part of the monthslong campaigns leading into Sunday’s heated presidential election in Venezuela.
President Nicolás Maduro is seeking a third six-year term in office, and he and his ruling party are facing their toughest electoral challenge in decades.
After years of election boycotts and internal divisions, the main opposition parties have come together to support a single candidate, former diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia. He is representing the opposition coalition after the winner of the bloc’s primary, María Corina Machado, was sidelined by the government.
Supporters of opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez attend his campaign rally in Barinas, Venezuela, Saturday, July 6, 2024. The official campaign period for the July 28 election kicked off on July 4. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, center, and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, center right, greet supporters during a campaign rally in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Tuesday, July 23, 2024. The presidential election is set for July 28. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Supporters hold an electoral poster promoting opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González during the launch of his campaign for the upcoming election, in La Victoria, Venezuela, May 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado argues with police officers delaying her passage to the opening presidential campaign rally in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Venezuela is set to hold its presidential election on July 28. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Opposition supporters cheer for presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado during a campaign rally in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Tuesday, July 23, 2024. The presidential election is set for July 28. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A man dressed as an Independence fighter attends a campaign event with opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, June 13, 2024. Venezuela is set to hold its presidential election on July 28. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Action figures of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores are held up at a pro-government rally against U.S. sanctions on Venezuela in the Catia neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, June 5, 2024. Maduro is seeking a third term in the July 28 vote. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Murals of late President Hugo Chavez outside the Museum of the Llanos in Barinas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 7, 2024. Venezuela is set to hold a presidential election on July 28. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
A woman with her children sells coffee near a bus station in Maturin, Venezuela, Saturday, July 20, 2024. The presidential election is set for July 28. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
President Nicolas Maduro, accompanied by first lady Cilia Flores, raises his arms during his closing election campaign rally in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, July 25, 2024. Maduro is seeking a third term in the July 28 vote. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
A woman plays with her dogs in the Santa Rosa de Agua neighborhood of Maracaibo, Venezuela, Monday, July 22, 2024. The country’s presidential election is set for July 28. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado greets supporters during a campaign rally for presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, in Maturin, Venezuela, Saturday, July 20, 2024. The presidential election is set for July 28. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Seen through a bus window shield, a set of steps features a giant portrait of the eyes of the late President Hugo Chavez in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, July 26, 2024. The presidential election is set for July 28. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Daniel Fonseca, 15, lifts blocks of cement at a public gym set up at Los Caobos Park in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, July 23, 2024. Venezuela is set to hold its presidential election on July 28. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro looks on during a campaign rally in the neighborhood of Petare in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, July 18, 2024. Venezuela is set to hold its presidential election on July 28. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
A supporter of opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez holds up his dog during a campaign rally in Valencia, Venezuela, Saturday, July 13, 2024. Venezuela is set to hold its presidential election on July 28. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Homes cover a hill in the Petare neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, July 25, 2024, days before the July 28 presidential election. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A couple passes by on a motorbike near a flea market in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Monday, July 22, 2024. The country’s presidential election is set for July 28. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A campaign mural promoting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on a wall in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, July 17, 2024. Venezuela is set to hold presidential elections July 28. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
A supporter of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro features the president’s name woven into his beard as he waits for the start of the president’s closing campaign rally as he seeks reelection in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, July 25, 2024. The presidential election is set for July 28. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
A resident removes balloons that decorated a wall in the Petare neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, July 25, 2024, days before the July 28 presidential election. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A boy waits for his father in a taxi near a flea market in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Monday, July 22, 2024. The country’s presidential election is set for July 28. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A horse is adorned with a paper national flag during a campaign rally for opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, in Barinas, Venezuela, Saturday, July 6, 2024. Venezuela is set to hold a presidential election on July 28. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Opposition supporters watch a campaign rally for presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Tuesday, July 23, 2024. The presidential election is set for July 28. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
