The current president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, continues for his third term as the country’s president. The election victory contradicts door-to-door polls.
The current president of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro won the country’s presidential election, says the Venezuelan election authority.
Autocratic President Maduro, who has been in power for 11 years, won the election with 51.2 percent of the vote. He is going into his third term as president.
The result contradicts several door-to-door polls.
In the elections, Maduro faced a candidate that was unanimously supported by the opposition Edmundo González Urrutia.
The opposition has not confirmed the results and accuses the election of irregularities.
In the morning Finnish time, the Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said González won 70 percent of the vote.
Venezuelans see González as a representative of the popular Machado, who was banned from office for 15 years by the Maduro administration. The reasons can be considered political.
Venezuela’s other opposition representatives also said that their calculations showed Gonzalez’s clearly won.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized on Monday the importance of transparency and said that the international community is closely monitoring the development of the situation.
– We have serious concerns that the announced result does not reflect the will of the Venezuelan people, Blinken said.
Maduro threatened the country with massacre and civil war if there was an attempt to oust him. Venezuela’s chief prosecutor told the Reuters news agency on Sunday that he does not expect the election to bring violence.
After learning of his victory on Monday, Maduro said his re-election was a victory for peace and stability. He reiterated his claim that Venezuela’s electoral system is transparent.
Current President Maduro came to power from his predecessor Hugo Chávez died 11 years ago. He was sure of his victory even before the results.
The United States considered Venezuela’s previous presidential election to be fraudulent.
The Venezuelan elections are also closely watched in Western countries. The reason is above all its world’s largest proven oil reserves.
Sources: AFP, AP, Reuters
The story was completed on April 29 at 7:40 a.m.: Added Maduro’s comments, information on door-to-door surveys and the opposition’s point of view.
The story was completed on April 29 at 8:35 a.m.: Blinken’s and Machado’s views were added.