Tense Venezuela votes in shadow of 'bloodbath' warning

Venezuelans vote Sunday between continuity in President Nicolas Maduro or change in rival Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia amid high tension following the incumbent's threat of a "bloodbath" if he loses, which polls suggest is likely.

Concerns were further stoked when Caracas blocked several international observers at the last minute, including four ex-presidents who had their plane held up in Panama Friday.

Maduro, 61, is accused of locking up critics and harassing the opposition in a climate of rising authoritarianism.

He is seeking a third six-year term at the helm of the once wealthy petro-state that saw GDP drop 80 percent in a decade, pushing more than seven million of its 30 million citizens to emigrate.

Maduro lags far behind challenger Gonzalez Urrutia in voter intention, according to independent polls, but counts on a loyal electoral machinery, military leadership and state institutions in a system of well-established political patronage.

Relying on its own figures, the regime is also said to be certain of victory.

"They will probably steal the election," 35-year-old opposition voter Marianella told AFP in Caracas, withholding her surname for fear of retribution against her children and small business.

"It's the only way they can win."

Indeed, polls suggest Sunday's vote poses the biggest threat yet to 25 years of "Chavismo," the populist movement founded by Maduro's predecessor and mentor, Hugo Chavez.

But analysts told AFP the president is unlikely to concede defeat, especially in the absence of immunity guarantees, with his government under investigation for human rights abuses by the International Criminal Court.

Days before the vote, Maduro said the outcome would decide whether Venezuela...