Venezuela’s Maduro claims victory as U.S., others question legitimacy

Venezuela’s electoral authorities said Monday morning that Nicolás Maduro had been elected to a new term, but the United States and several Latin American countries have questioned the legitimacy of the results, which the opposition had said it believed it had won. Venezuela’s National Electoral Council released the results six hours after polls closed, saying Maduro had 51% of the vote and opposition candidate Edmundo González had 44%. The results do not include votes cast at individual polling centers, which the election watchdog said were critical to determining the accuracy of the count. Earlier exit polls showed González winning by a wide margin. Residents around Caracas began banging pots and pans to protest the results almost immediately after the Maduro-controlled electoral council announced the results. “We are seriously concerned that the results announced do not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people,” said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Nine Latin American countries have called for an audit of the statistics, and some leaders have said they will not recognize the vote until it is proven accurate. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, a longtime leader of the region’s left-wing movement, did not congratulate Maduro on his victory. “The Brazilian government welcomes the peaceful nature of yesterday’s elections in Venezuela and has closely followed the counting process,” Lula said in a statement. “It therefore looks forward to the publication by the National Electoral Council of data broken down by polling station, an essential step to ensure the transparency, credibility and legitimacy of the results.” “What a great day we have had,” Maduro told supporters on stage, dancing to reggae music. “Thank you for giving my people the victory they deserve. It is a victory for the ideal of equality.” Maduro said the opposition was using an old trick: shouting that the lost election was fraudulent. “I’ve seen this several times,” he said. Maduro was supported by left-wing leaders in Cuba, Nicaragua, Russia, Bolivia and Honduras, who congratulated him on his victory. As voting drew to a close Sunday afternoon, exit polls conducted by Edison Research showed González winning by a wide margin, with more than twice as many votes as Maduro. The opposition also conducted a quick count, essentially a compilation of a large sample of polling stations that is considered highly accurate. The results showed González received nearly 8.5 million votes, 4.5 million more than Maduro. The Maduro regime arrested dozens of opposition campaign workers before the election. The government allowed only 69,000 of the nearly 5 million voting-age Venezuelans who have emigrated abroad to vote in an effort to control turnout. Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado refused to accept the results from electoral authorities, saying González had received 70% of the vote. Maduro spoke at a rally of supporters Monday morning, promising “peace and security” and rebutting foreign criticism. He claimed that Venezuela’s electoral authorities, which are controlled by Maduro’s supporters, are more legitimate than the electoral systems of other countries, such as the United States. Chilean President Gabriel Boric called the election results “incredible.” Boric said on X that the Venezuelan people and the international community demanded full transparency in the ballot and counting process, and that independent international observers verify the results. Foreign ministers from Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay made similar calls in a joint statement, saying a transparent vote count was the only way to ensure the results respect the will of Venezuelan voters. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares Bueno called for the release of data from all polling stations and asked people to remain calm and civil. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said access to voting records from polling stations was “crucial” and that the will of Venezuelan voters “must be respected.” Maduro received support from some allies after declaring victory, including Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel. Canel said he spoke to Maduro and congratulated him on his “historic electoral victory.” Honduran President Xiomara Castro congratulated Maduro and the Venezuelan people on their “indisputable victory, which reaffirms their sovereignty.” Bolivian President Luis Arce said his government welcomed the “fact that the will of the Venezuelan people was respected in the elections.” Maduro is serving his second term as president and Sunday’s vote is his toughest electoral challenge yet. González, a retired diplomat, joined Machado’s campaign in April after Venezuela’s Supreme Court blocked him from running.