On July 28, Venezuela held one of the most consequential elections in its history. The country's political opposition, led by Maria Corina Machado, overcame popular disillusionment, political divides and a rigged electoral system to earn a landslide victory for its unity candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia. According to one civil society group,
estimates "extrapolated from the official vote count receipts" from a representative sample of local voting centers give González 66% of the vote. Venezuela's opposition met the moment with an inspired pro-democracy campaign.