Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his political rival both asserted victory in Monday’s election, which was characterized by allegations of fraud and irregularities in the counting process.
The National Electoral Council (CNE) issued a statement indicating that Maduro had secured over 51% of the vote, surpassing Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, who had received over 44% of the vote, with 80% of the votes counted.
Multiple global leaders, including the United States, expressed doubt regarding the official results that awarded the presidential election victory to Maduro.
The CNE allegedly halted the transmission of data from local polling stations to their central location to prevent the processing of additional votes, and claims of election irregularities began to emerge on Sunday evening as the votes were being counted. These claims include the denial of access to opposition witnesses at the CNE headquarters during the vote count.
Some international organizations have criticized the CNE for its lack of objectivity.
During a press conference, the opposition leader, María Corina Machado, disclosed that their candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, had received 70% of the vote, as opposed to Maduro’s 30%.
Reactions to the results varied across the region. Many presidents, including those of Peru, Chile, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Argentina, and Uruguay, rejected Maduro’s victory.
The Bolivian, Honduran, and Cuban governments congratulated Maduro on his victory.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and China’s Foreign Ministry also congratulated Maduro on his re-election.
