President Nicolás Maduro has secured victory in Venezuela’s presidential election, as reported by the electoral council with 80% of votes counted. Maduro garnered 51.20% of the vote, while his main rival trailed with 44.02%. However, the Venezuelan opposition has raised allegations of widespread fraud in the vote counting process and has vowed to challenge the results.
In his victory speech in Caracas, Maduro hailed his re-election as a “triumph of peace and stability” and praised the transparency of the Venezuelan election system. He took a swipe at the opposition, accusing them of crying fraud in every election.
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, expressed skepticism over the declared outcome, stating concerns that it may not reflect the will of the Venezuelan people. Meanwhile, Cuba, a close ally of Maduro’s government, celebrated the victory as a win for the Revolution.
The opposition, led by candidate Edmundo González, had mobilized thousands of witnesses at polling stations across the country to monitor the vote count. However, they claimed that their witnesses were forced to leave many polling stations, raising further doubts about the integrity of the election.
Opinion polls had initially favored González, with many voters expressing a desire for change after 25 years of socialist rule under the PSUV party. The last election in 2018 was marred by allegations of irregularities, and fears of a similar scenario loomed over this election.
Despite the challenges, the opposition remained optimistic, urging supporters to turn out in large numbers to prevent any attempts to manipulate the election results. Voting in Venezuela is electronic, with results sent to the CNE headquarters and paper receipts stored in ballot boxes. However, the opposition claimed limited access to these paper receipts, hindering their ability to verify the official results.
As the country awaits the final outcome of the election and potential legal challenges, the political landscape in Venezuela remains tense and divided.
