Incumbent President Nicolas Maduro received 51.2 percent of the vote, according to the electoral authorities in Venezuela. Maduro has ruled the country since 2013, and is now elected for a third term. This despite the fact that election day polls showed that the opposition was likely to win. The election has been characterized by unrest, and some have feared that President Nicolás Maduro would cheat his way to victory. Some of the opposition’s supporters gathered outside a polling station in Caracas. Photo: Cristian Hernandez / AP Last week he went out and threatened a “blood bath” 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. 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 who challenged Maduro, but the only one who had a chance was Edmundo Gonzalez. 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 show that Gonzalez received 44.2 percent of the vote. Maduro and his regime have cracked down hard on all opposition over several years in order to secure elections. Over a hundred election campaign workers for the opposition have been arrested in recent weeks. Economic disaster Under the Maduro 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 seven million to leave their homeland. 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 06.42
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President Nicolas Maduro has won the elections in Venezuela – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
