By Deisy Buitrago
CARACAS - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in power since 2013 and running for a third term on July 28, is confident he is still the right man to lead the OPEC country that has been governed by the socialists for a quarter of a century.
"Come rain, shine or lightning ... we're going to win by a landslide," he said in a recent broadcast on state television, shortly after reading out mock election results in which he notched "an irreversible victory".
The mustachioed Maduro, 61, a former foreign minister and bus driver, has bristled with energy and electoral confidence despite evidence of strong support for his opponent Edmundo Gonzalez among Venezuelans weary of years of economic deprivation.
Former diplomat Gonzalez, 74, replaced opposition darling Maria Corina Machado on the ballot - which also includes nine other candidates - after a ban on her holding public office was upheld in January.
Maduro, who likes to chug green juices at campaign events, citing their health properties, is heir to his late mentor, Hugo Chavez, and is running for his second reelection. Venezuela's opposition, the United States and many other Western countries consider Maduro's win in 2018 to be a sham.
The election is being held on what would have been the birthday of Chavez, and Maduro has cast a win for him as a gift for the late leader.
Maduro has presided over an extended economic collapse in the once relatively affluent South American nation, prompting an exodus of some 7.7 million migrants.
Almost 82% of Venezuelans live in poverty, with 53% in extreme poverty, unable to buy even basic foodstuffs, a U.N. special rapporteur said in February after visiting the country.
THEATRICAL FLAIR
Maduro, a salsa aficionado with a flair for theatrics, often calls opposition politicians "fascist demons" and "the surnames," the latter a jibe at their supposedly wealthy backgrounds.
He has blamed them for increasing power outages, accusing them of sabotage to the electrical grid, and has said they are preparing to cry wolf over election fraud.
Critics both at home and abroad say he is a dictator who has jailed or persecuted political opponents, repeatedly and unfairly blocking opposition candidates from participating in elections.
Maduro denies those charges. He has said he will usher in peace and a new period of growth that will mean the economy will no longer depend on oil income.
Years of mismanagement, falling oil prices and U.S. sanctions have all hurt crude output in Venezuela, but almost 60% of the country's income is still set to come from oil in 2024, according to official figures.
Maduro's face looms large from posters plastered on street lamps, murals and advertisements along Caracas' major thoroughfares, with slogans urging people to vote for the president this coming weekend.
Frequently accompanied on the campaign trail by his only son, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, he has held rallies to drum up support, where his favorite beverage sometimes takes center stage.
The green juice is made with cucumber, celery, ginger, green apple, lime and spinach, and needs to be prepared with an extractor, Maduro told the crowd at a rally last week.
"Cilita, bring me a green juice, I need it," Maduro said to his wife, Cilia Flores. "This is a source of energy," he added.
(Reporting by Deisy Buitrago; Writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
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