Venezuelans in Florida elect opposition presidential candidate

About 200,000 Venezuelans live in Florida, although unofficial estimates say that they amount to almost 1,000,000 people. The state of Florida has the largest number of Venezuelan voters abroad. The Unified Democratic Panel (MUD) Electoral Committee reported that about 18,000 voters are going to vote in Miami

Thousands of Venezuelans living in Florida are voting in the 20 polling stations established in the US state. They are going to elect the opposition candidate to the presidential elections to be held in Venezuela in October, in an unprecedented election process where the opposition alliance seeks the vote of 18,000 Venezuelans in Miami.

"This is a process that reaffirms our commitment to democracy. Venezuelans who live here (in Florida) are aware that we can make a difference in presidential elections," said Pedro Mena, the executive secretary of the MUD in Miami, AFP reported.

About 20 polling stations opened at 8:00 a.m. (local time) on Sunday at the parking lot of the Atrium Shopping Center located in Doral, Miami, where a large number of Venezuelans live.

"I have come to vote but I still have doubts whether these votes will be taken into account when we vote in the presidential elections because there is no Venezuelan consulate in Miami. I think we are in a very bad situation," said Deyanira Torres, 40, a Venezuelan voter.

About 200 people are participating in the primaries as volunteers in Miami.