Nicolás Maduro has been declared the winner of Venezuela’s presidential election by the government-controlled electoral body, securing him a third consecutive six-year term. But the opposition screamed that the authoritarian socialist did not in fact receive the most votes.
The National Electoral Council (CNE) has counted 80% of the votes declare On Monday, Maduro won 51% of the vote, while Edmundo González, the opposition candidate of the Democratic Unity Platform, received 44%.
In his victory speech, Maduro described the election results as “a victory for peace and stability, republican ideals and the ideals of equality.”
But election authorities have yet to release official vote tallies from polling centers. Maduro claimed the delay was caused by an unnamed country Hacking Incorporated into the Electoral Commission system. “The devil and the devil do not want the total to be counted,” the Venezuelan leader declared in a statement.
Gonzalez countered that the results were fraudulent and his party asked election authorities to verify the results by providing tallies from voting machines.
“Venezuelans and the whole world know what happened,” Gonzalez explain at a press conference.
Voting in Venezuela is electronic – voters press a button to select their preferred candidate on a machine, which sends the results to the CNE. Each machine also prints a paper receipt that is placed in the ballot box for the recount. The opposition plans to obtain these printed vote counts to see if they match those published by the CNE.
So far, the opposition has only gained approx. 40% ballot box. Under Venezuelan law, independent witnesses allow Leave paper receipts at the polls to count to prevent tampering and ensure fairness. But opposition members claim they have be rejected and was forcibly removed from the premises.
The CNE also allegedly halted the transmission of data from local polling stations to its headquarters, preventing more ballots from being processed. It’s unclear when authorities plan to release full results.
The opposition claimed that Gonzalez actually won the election and received 70% The vote against Maduro was 30%.
“Not only did we defeat them politically, morally and spiritually, today we defeated them with votes throughout Venezuela,” said the opposition leader Maria Corina MachadoMaduro is a pro-market politician forbidden Starting from participating in the election, explain at a press conference.
World leaders expressed doubts about the official results. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken Express “Seriously concerned that the results announced do not reflect the will of the Venezuelan people.” EU foreign policy chief wrote With regard to
Maduro received congratulations from the presidents of Cuba, Honduras and Bolivia, as well as messages of support from Russia, China and Iran. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel explain “The dignity and courage of the Venezuelan people have overcome pressure and manipulation.” Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a statement declare his confidence Maduro’sThe activities of the head of state will continue to promote its gradual development in all directions.
This is not the first time Maduro’s legitimacy has been questioned. In 2018, then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo fired Venezuela’s vote was a “scam” due to multiple irregularities. Government bans opposition candidates from participating, jail Others, allegedly intimidated voters. The result was massive protests and global condemnation.
Maduro succeeded Hugo Chavez in 2013. face US faces drug trafficking, corruption charges investigation Prosecuted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. Nearly 8 million Venezuelans run away The country is suffering from hyperinflation, shortages of essential goods and rampant corruption. Many more expressed their wishes leave If Maduro remains in power.
If the election results announced by the CNE are proven wrong, it could mark a critical moment in Venezuela’s transition away from dictatorship.
