Venezuela’s President Claims Victory In Tainted Election

The New York Times reports:

Venezuela’s authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro, was declared the winner of the country’s tumultuous presidential election early Monday, despite enormous momentum from an opposition movement that had been convinced this was the year it would oust Mr. Maduro’s socialist-inspired party. The vote was riddled with irregularities, and citizens were angrily protesting the government’s actions at voting centers even as the results were announced.

With 80 percent of voting stations counted, the country’s election authority claimed that Mr. Maduro had received 51.2 percent of the vote, while the main opposition candidate, Edmundo González, had received 44.2 percent. Mr. Maduro’s government has invented election results before, and this tally was immediately called into question by the opposition and by several officials in the region.

Axios reports:

The opposition and NGOs had warned that the government of Maduro, whom voters have soured on after years of economic and democratic collapse, had severely interfered with elections as he sought a third term. Polls consistently showed González Urrutia with a wide lead in the election. The political instability in the country, coupled with deteriorating economic and safety conditions, has forced millions of Venezuelans to flee to the U.S.-Mexico border in recent years.

This is going to be a mess.

Venezuela’s Autocrat Is Declared Winner in Tainted Election. The result, which would give Nicolás Maduro six more years as president, is likely to be disputed by the opposition. The voting was riddled with irregularities.
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— Michel Baljet (@MichelBaljet) July 29, 2024