Venezuela’s opposition has declared victory in Sunday’s presidential election, challenging the government’s earlier announcement that President Nicolás Maduro won.
Opposition candidate Edmundo González stated, “The Venezuelans and the entire world know what happened.”
The National Electoral Council, controlled by Maduro loyalists, reported that Maduro secured 51% of the vote to González’s 44%. However, they withheld the detailed tallies from the 30,000 polling booths, promising to release them in the “coming hours,” which has hindered verification of the results.
In his victory speech, Maduro mocked Argentina’s President Javier Milei, calling him a “sociopath… who enjoys inflicting pain.”
Milei had previously labelled Maduro a “dictator” and claimed the opposition’s victory was clear.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado, alongside González, announced an “overwhelming” margin of victory. The opposition reported having obtained voting tallies from about 30% of ballot boxes, with more expected overnight.
Chile’s President Gabriel Boric stated that Maduro’s victory “is difficult to believe” and emphasised the need for verifiable results. Costa Rica’s President Rodrigo Chaves rejected Maduro’s win, calling for international cooperation to respect the Venezuelan people’s will. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concerns that the announced result does not reflect the voters’ will and called for vote count transparency.
Meanwhile, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel congratulated Maduro, reaffirming Cuba’s support for the Bolivarian and Chavista Revolution.
In his speech, Maduro praised Venezuela’s electoral system for its trust, security, and transparency, mentioning an alleged failed “massive hack” by a foreign actor. He called for respect for Venezuela’s sovereignty and the popular will, denouncing attempts to disrupt the republic’s peace.
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