Venezuela's presidential election could lead to a seismic shift in politics

Venezuelans are voting Sunday in a presidential election whose outcome will either lead to a seismic shift in politics or extend by six more years the policies that caused the world's worst peacetime economic collapse.

Whether it is President Nicols Maduro who is chosen, or his main opponent, retired diplomat Edmundo Gonzlez, the election will have ripple effects throughout the Americas. Government opponents and supporters alike have signalled their interest in joining the exodus of 7.7 million Venezuelans who have already left their homes for opportunities abroad should Maduro win another term.

Polls opened at 6 am, but voters started lining up at some voting centres across the country much earlier, sharing water, coffee and snacks for several hours.

Alejandro Sulbarn nagged the first spot at his voting centre by getting in line at 5 pm Saturday. He said he stood outside an elementary school in a hillside suburb of the capital, Caracas, for the future of the country.

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