Incumbent President Nicolás Maduro of the Socialist Party received 51.2 percent of the vote, while opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez received 44.2 percent. That’s what the National Electoral Commission says. The opposition, on the other hand, says they got 70 percent of the vote, and denies that Maduro has won. Election day polls also showed that the opposition was likely to win. The election has been marked by unrest, and many have feared that President Nicolás Maduro would cheat his way to victory. Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez held a press conference after the election results were presented. Photo: Matias Delacroix / AP Maduro said, after the election results became clear, that this is a victory for peace and stability. He also repeated the claim he has made several times during the election campaign that the electoral system is transparent. Distrust among heads of state But US Foreign Minister Anthony Blinken wants proof of this. He says they are seriously concerned that the election results are not correct. – Now that the result is clear, it is crucial that every vote is counted fairly and openly. We ask the electoral authorities to publish the detailed count to ensure transparency and trust. Some of the opposition’s supporters gathered outside a polling station in Caracas. Photo: Cristian Hernandez / AP Chile’s president Gabriel Boric says they will not recognize the result. – Maduro’s regime must understand that it is difficult to believe the result. The international community and especially the people of Venezuela, including millions of them in exile, demand transparency. In Chile, we will not recognize results that cannot be verified. Neither does Peru, which announces that it is recalling its ambassador from Venezuela. – Peru will not accept this break with the will of the Venezuelan people, says Foreign Minister Javier Gonzalez-Olaechea. The authorities in Costa Rica also reject what they call a fraudulent claim of an election victory for Maduro. – Bloodbath Last week, however, Maduro went out and threatened a “bloodbath” if the people did not vote for him. – If you don’t want a bloodbath in Venezuela, a civil war where brother kills brother because of the fascists, then let’s guarantee the biggest electoral victory in the country’s history, Maduro told his supporters. Nicolás Maduro has been in power in Venezuela since 2013. Here he votes in the capital, Caracas. Photo: JUAN BARRETO / AFP On Sunday, Maduro said he would respect the election results regardless of the outcome, reports AFP. Still, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado urged people to stay at the polling stations to make sure the counting went right. Imprisoning campaign workers There were a total of ten candidates challenging Maduro, but the only one who had a chance was Edmundo Gonzalez. The opposition’s leading candidate was actually Marina Corina Machado, but she was refused by the country’s electoral authorities to run for the election. Their other candidate, academic Carina Yoris, was also blocked. The choice finally fell on Gonzalez, who has experience as a former ambassador. He represents the opposition coalition Enhetsplattformen, and has led with between 30 and 50 per cent in independent election polls. Edmundo Gonzalez was leading in the pre-election polls. He is a retired diplomat. Photo: Alexandre Meneghini / Reuters The election results, according to the electoral commission, show that Gonzalez received 44.2 percent of the vote. They themselves claim that they have received 70 percent of the votes. Professor Benedicte Bull told news before the result was clear that there was no doubt that Maduro would stay in power. – He has stuffed the state apparatus full of loyal supporters and the military. In addition, he has taken complete control of the electoral council, which will announce the election results, she said on Sunday. The current regime has cracked down hard on all opposition over several years in order to secure an election victory. Over a hundred election campaign workers for the opposition have been arrested in recent weeks. In mid-June, two of Machado’s collaborators, as well as several other social and political leaders in the country, were arrested in what they called a political attack. Economic disaster Maduro has been the country’s president since 2013, and has been hated by many. Under his regime, Venezuela’s economy has collapsed. Inflation has exploded. There has been an acute shortage of food and medicine for long periods. It has caused close to 7 million to leave their home country. The largest group has settled in neighboring Colombia. By giving great privileges to the military, and by manipulating elections, President Maduro has stayed in power. This despite tremendous economic pressure from the US and other Western countries. Published 29/07/2024, at 06.21 Updated 29.07.2024, at 08.06
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President Nicolás Maduro has won – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
