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Nicolás Maduro Declared Winner Amid Disputed Venezuelan Election

President Nicolás Maduro has been declared the winner of Venezuela’s presidential election, according to partial results from the National Electoral Council (CNE). Elvis Amoroso, the CNE head and a close ally of Maduro, announced that with 80% of the ballots counted, Maduro had secured 51% of the vote compared to 44% for his main rival, Edmundo González.

Opposition Challenges Results

The Venezuelan opposition swiftly dismissed the CNE’s announcement as fraudulent and vowed to contest the result. They claimed their candidate, Edmundo González, had actually won with 70% of the votes. Opposition parties, united behind González to oust Maduro after 11 years in power, stated that their vote tallies, exit polls, and quick counts indicated González had a 40-point lead over the incumbent.

Pre-Election Polls and Public Sentiment

Pre-election opinion polls suggested González would decisively defeat Maduro. Many Venezuelans expressed a desire for change after 25 years of socialist PSUV rule, initially under the late President Hugo Chávez and, since his death in 2013, under Nicolás Maduro. Despite widespread fears of government fraud, the opposition hoped their significant lead would prevent any electoral theft by the Maduro administration.

International Skepticism

International reactions to the announced results were mixed. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced “serious concerns” about the declared outcome, suggesting it did not reflect the Venezuelan people’s will. Chilean President Gabriel Boric echoed these sentiments, calling for complete transparency in the process and verification by unbiased international observers. Uruguay’s president remarked that the Maduro government seemed determined to “win” regardless of actual results.

Maduro’s Allies and Response

Maduro’s allies quickly offered their congratulations. The Cuban president praised the Venezuelan people’s resilience against “pressure and manipulation.” Maduro, addressing his supporters in Caracas, celebrated the result as a victory for peace and stability. He lauded the election system’s transparency and mocked the opposition for consistently alleging fraud.

Opposition’s Monitoring Efforts

To ensure a fair count, the opposition had deployed thousands of witnesses to polling stations nationwide. However, a spokeswoman for González’s coalition reported that many of their witnesses were “forced to leave” polling stations. This hindered their plan to compare the official electronic results with the printed receipts from voting machines.

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Historic Context and Voting Process

This disputed election is not unprecedented. Maduro’s 2018 victory was also widely condemned as neither free nor fair. Concerns of irregularities persisted this election, fueled by Maduro’s assertion that he would win “by hook or by crook.”

Venezuelan voting is electronic, with voters selecting their candidate on a machine that prints a paper receipt. By law, parties can send witnesses to verify these paper receipts against electronic results at polling stations. However, the opposition reported limited access to the receipts, further casting doubt on the election’s integrity.

Conclusion

The Venezuelan presidential election has concluded with Nicolás Maduro declared the winner, but amid significant controversy and accusations of fraud. With international scrutiny and opposition challenges, the legitimacy of the results remains heavily disputed.

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