'I'm leaving': Maduro victory sparks fears of new exodus of Venezuelans

A despondent Jose Vasquez, 31, has decided to join a mass exodus of Venezuelans seeking a better life elsewhere, having lost all hope in his future with the contested reelection of President Nicolas Maduro.

“There is no light at the end of the tunnel. I’m leaving,” the 31-year-old told AFP.

Vasquez studied to be a teacher, but now works as a salesman, as salaries in his chosen profession were so low “that they are useless.”

“Everyone knows what’s going to happen: people my age and younger people are going to leave. There’s going to be a huge migratory flight,” he predicted from the central square in San Cristobal, a city in western Venezuela.

Some 7.5 million people have already left the country in the last decade to escape the oil-rich nation’s grave economic crisis, according to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR).

And surrounding nations are bracing for another exodus after Maduro was declared the victor of Sunday’s election. The opposition claims it was the rightful winner and the dispute has sparked deadly protests, leaving at least 16 dead.