Venezuelan exiles flock to vote

THOUSANDS of Venezuelan emigres   living in Panama flocked to polling stations on  Sunday July  17 to register a vote in a plebiscite  organized by opposition groups in Venezuela  with the  endorsement of the  country’s National Assembly.

Participants had  to answer  three questions: whether or not they agreed with the constitutional process promoted by the current government, whether or not they wished to maintain the Constitution of 1999 and whether they aspired to a renewal of the Public Powers through free elections.

The results were seen as a foregone conclusion. In Panama, 43,000 Venezuelans are qualified to exercise their right to vote. Of this number 30,000 were scheduled to vote in the Don Bosco Center on Via Israel, 10,000 in Costa del Este and 3000 in Chiriquí.

Individuals had to present their current or expired ID or passport before voting.

The Panama results will not be announced until after those in Venezuela.