Venezuelans choose between another prez term for Maduro or a big change

CARACAS: 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 Prez Nicolas

Maduro

who is chosen, or his main opponent, retired diplomat

Edmundo Gonzalez

, the poll will have ripple effects across the Americas.

Govt opponents and supporters alike have signalled their interest in joining the exodus of 7.7million Venezuelans who have already left their homes for opportunities abroad should Maduro win another term.
Polls opened at 6am across the country. The number of eligible voters is estimated to be around 17 million. Polls close at 6pm local time (3.30am IST), but it's not clear when the first results will be released.
Authorities set Sunday's election to coincide with what would have been the 70th birthday of former Prez Hugo Chavez, the leftist firebrand who died of cancer in 2013, leaving his Bolivarian revolution in the hands of Maduro. But Maduro and his United Socialist Party of

Venezuela

are more unpopular than ever among many voters who blame his policies for crushing wages, spurring hunger, crippling the oil industry and separating families due to migration.

Maduro is facing off against Gonzalez who is representing a coalition of

opposition parties

after being selected in April as a last-minute stand-in for opposition powerhouse Maria Corina Machado, who was blocked by the Maduro-controlled Supreme Tribunal of Justice from running for any office for 15 years. Sunday's ballot also features eight other candidates.