President Nicolás Maduro has won Venezuela’s presidential election, with 51% of the vote compared to his main rival’s 44%, according to the electoral council. The opposition has dismissed the announcement as fraudulent, claiming their candidate had won with 70% of the votes. Despite fears of government fraud, the opposition united behind their candidate in an attempt to unseat President Maduro after 11 years in power. While many voters expressed a desire for change after 25 years of socialist rule, the opposition had hoped for a convincing lead that would prevent any attempts at election theft.
The US Secretary of State and other international leaders expressed skepticism over the election results, questioning the transparency of the process. The Chilean president called the outcome hard to believe and demanded total transparency and verification of the results by international observers. However, allies of President Maduro quickly congratulated him, with the Cuban president praising the Venezuelan people for their bravery in the face of pressure and manipulation. President Maduro himself described the result as a triumph of peace and stability, mocking the opposition’s claims of fraud at every election.
The opposition had deployed thousands of witnesses to polling stations across the country to monitor the vote count, but many were reportedly forced to leave. This election is not the first to be denounced, with Maduro’s previous win in 2018 also facing allegations of irregularities. Fears were further stoked by the president himself, who had vowed to win “by hook or by crook”. Voting in Venezuela is electronic, but parties are allowed to send witnesses to monitor the paper receipt count at polling stations. Despite this, the opposition claimed they were only given access to a fraction of the paper receipts during the count.
The Venezuelan opposition had hoped for a convincing victory to prevent election theft by the Maduro administration. Many voters expressed a desire for change after years of socialist rule under the PSUV party. However, President Maduro’s win was announced by the electoral council, leading to allegations of fraud and skepticism from the international community. The opposition’s candidate had been leading in exit polls and quick counts, but the official results favored President Maduro. As tensions rise and allegations of irregularities persist, the true outcome of Venezuela’s presidential election remains in dispute.
