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| Version 8 | Version 9 |
|---|---|
| Venezuelans vote to choose Hugo Chavez successor | Venezuelans vote to choose Hugo Chavez successor |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| People in Venezuela are voting in a presidential election, called after the death of Hugo Chavez. | People in Venezuela are voting in a presidential election, called after the death of Hugo Chavez. |
| Acting President Nicolas Maduro, chosen by Mr Chavez as his successor, is running against Henrique Capriles, currently governor of Miranda state. | Acting President Nicolas Maduro, chosen by Mr Chavez as his successor, is running against Henrique Capriles, currently governor of Miranda state. |
| Mr Capriles narrowly lost to Mr Chavez in elections last October. | Mr Capriles narrowly lost to Mr Chavez in elections last October. |
| On the eve of polls opening, he accused Mr Maduro of breaking election laws by continuing its campaign on state television. | On the eve of polls opening, he accused Mr Maduro of breaking election laws by continuing its campaign on state television. |
| Electoral authorities say voting has been going smoothly. Security had been stepped up for the vote, the BBC's Will Grant in Caracas reports. | Electoral authorities say voting has been going smoothly. Security had been stepped up for the vote, the BBC's Will Grant in Caracas reports. |
| The government said there were reports of over a dozen minor irregularities, some of which were flagged up by opposition officials. | |
| Mr Maduro, aged 50, whose campaign has focused on his close relationship to Mr Chavez, was shown visiting the tomb of the late leader, a move Mr Capriles, 40, said was "violating all the electoral norms". | Mr Maduro, aged 50, whose campaign has focused on his close relationship to Mr Chavez, was shown visiting the tomb of the late leader, a move Mr Capriles, 40, said was "violating all the electoral norms". |
| Both candidates have to some extent broken the media silence they are supposed to have maintained since campaigning officially ended on Thursday, our correspondent says. | Both candidates have to some extent broken the media silence they are supposed to have maintained since campaigning officially ended on Thursday, our correspondent says. |
| Almost 19 million Venezuelans have the right to vote in the poll. | Almost 19 million Venezuelans have the right to vote in the poll. |
| Mr Maduro cast his vote in the Catia area of the capital Caracas, accompanied by Mr Chavez's two daughters. Mr Capriles voted in the Las Mercedes district of the capital. | Mr Maduro cast his vote in the Catia area of the capital Caracas, accompanied by Mr Chavez's two daughters. Mr Capriles voted in the Las Mercedes district of the capital. |
| Hundreds of election monitors are present from different countries and international organisations to ensure the poll is free and fair. | Hundreds of election monitors are present from different countries and international organisations to ensure the poll is free and fair. |
| Voting is electronic - one machine will identify voters' fingerprints, and a second will recognise identity card numbers and register the vote anonymously. | Voting is electronic - one machine will identify voters' fingerprints, and a second will recognise identity card numbers and register the vote anonymously. |
| Polls have officially closed but will stay open until all those queuing at closing time have voted. | |
| Official results are expected about three hours after counting begins. | |
| Our correspondent says it remains to be seen whether there is voter apathy or a real desire now to make a decision - either this Bolivarian revolution is continued or the country turns a different corner. | Our correspondent says it remains to be seen whether there is voter apathy or a real desire now to make a decision - either this Bolivarian revolution is continued or the country turns a different corner. |
| Both presidential candidates wrote on the social network Twitter early in the morning. | Both presidential candidates wrote on the social network Twitter early in the morning. |
| Mr Maduro invited Venezuelans to vote to guarantee the future and the perpetual peace of their country. Meanwhile opposition candidate Henrique Capriles said: "The big day is here!" and used a hashtag urging people to "vote without fear". | Mr Maduro invited Venezuelans to vote to guarantee the future and the perpetual peace of their country. Meanwhile opposition candidate Henrique Capriles said: "The big day is here!" and used a hashtag urging people to "vote without fear". |
| Late on Sunday, Mr Maduro's Twitter feed and campaign website were hacked by a group calling itself Lulz Security Peru. | |
| 'Chavez nightmare' | 'Chavez nightmare' |
| The former president died on 5 March, after a two-year battle against an undisclosed type of cancer, prompting a short electoral campaign period before Sunday's elections. | The former president died on 5 March, after a two-year battle against an undisclosed type of cancer, prompting a short electoral campaign period before Sunday's elections. |
| The winner is due to be sworn in on 19 April and serve until January 2019, to complete the six-year term that Mr Chavez was supposed to have begun in January. | The winner is due to be sworn in on 19 April and serve until January 2019, to complete the six-year term that Mr Chavez was supposed to have begun in January. |
| Mr Chavez was a divisive leader. To his supporters he was the reforming president whose idiosyncratic brand of socialism defeated the political elite and gave hope to the poorest Venezuelans. | Mr Chavez was a divisive leader. To his supporters he was the reforming president whose idiosyncratic brand of socialism defeated the political elite and gave hope to the poorest Venezuelans. |
| He effectively used his country's vast oil reserves to boost Venezuela's international clout, and his strident criticism of the US won him many political allies in Latin America. | He effectively used his country's vast oil reserves to boost Venezuela's international clout, and his strident criticism of the US won him many political allies in Latin America. |
| However, his political opponents accuse him of being an autocrat, intent on building a one-party state. | However, his political opponents accuse him of being an autocrat, intent on building a one-party state. |
| Mr Chavez bequeaths a nation beset by crumbling infrastructure, unsustainable public spending and under-performing industry. | Mr Chavez bequeaths a nation beset by crumbling infrastructure, unsustainable public spending and under-performing industry. |
| His handpicked candidate Nicolas Maduro is seen as the front-runner, but recent polls suggested the gap between him and his rival was narrowing. | His handpicked candidate Nicolas Maduro is seen as the front-runner, but recent polls suggested the gap between him and his rival was narrowing. |
| "My vote will be for Maduro, but my heart will be with Chavez," Alejandro Almeida, 67, a retired factory worker, told the French news agency AFP. | "My vote will be for Maduro, but my heart will be with Chavez," Alejandro Almeida, 67, a retired factory worker, told the French news agency AFP. |
| But opposition supporter Alexis Chacon, 74, who runs a chemical company, said he was "terribly disappointed" with the current situation in oil-rich Venezuela. | But opposition supporter Alexis Chacon, 74, who runs a chemical company, said he was "terribly disappointed" with the current situation in oil-rich Venezuela. |
| "The Hugo Chavez nightmare has sunk this country," he told AFP. | "The Hugo Chavez nightmare has sunk this country," he told AFP. |