Posted: Monday, July 29, 2024. 7:18 am CST.
By Horace Palacio: President Nicolás Maduro has emerged victorious in Venezuela’s presidential election, according to partial results announced by the National Electoral Council (CNE). The head of the CNE, Elvis Amoroso, who is closely aligned with Maduro, reported that with 80% of ballots counted, Maduro secured 51% of the vote, compared to 44% for his main rival, Edmundo González, according to the BBC.
However, the Venezuelan opposition has dismissed the CNE’s announcement as fraudulent and promised to challenge the result. They assert that González had won with 70% of the votes, insisting he is the rightful president-elect. According to the opposition, their vote tallies and quick counts showed González leading by 40 percentage points over Maduro.
Opposition parties had united behind González in an attempt to unseat Maduro after 11 years in power. Pre-election opinion polls had suggested that González would decisively defeat the president. The election’s outcome will have significant repercussions beyond Venezuela, a nation of 29.4 million people. Over the past decade, 7.8 million Venezuelans have fled the economic and political crisis under Maduro’s administration. Polls conducted before the election indicated that this exodus might increase, with one survey suggesting a third of the population would emigrate.
Immigration remains a pressing issue in the US election, and the government in Washington, as well as Latin American countries to which Venezuelans have emigrated en masse, are closely monitoring the developments in Venezuela. The country’s vast oil reserves also make it a key player in global energy markets.
Maduro blames US sanctions for Venezuela’s economic woes and has forged close alliances with China, Iran, and Russia—nations also at odds with the US. A change in government could see Venezuela pivot away from these countries, as well as from its close ally Cuba. Should Maduro remain in power, he is expected to deepen his ties with these nations.
Many Venezuelans expressed a desire for change after 25 years of the socialist PSUV party’s rule, first under the late President Hugo Chávez and then under Maduro since Chávez’s death in 2013. In the capital, Caracas, voters in the poor neighborhood of Petare voiced their hope for change. “This government has had all the opportunities to make Venezuela a great country, but instead we have misery,” said Héctor Emilio D’Avila.
There were widespread fears of electoral fraud, a concern stemming from Maduro’s contentious win in 2018, which was widely dismissed as neither free nor fair. The opposition had hoped that their significant lead would deter any attempts to “steal the election.” Community leader Katiuska Camargo noted that, despite previous disappointments, people were now determined for a change in power.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed skepticism about the announced results, citing “serious concerns that the declared outcome does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people.” The UK Foreign Office also called for the publication of full, detailed results to ensure the outcome reflects the voters’ will. Chilean President Gabriel Boric found the results “hard to believe,” demanding total transparency and international verification.
Despite these concerns, Maduro’s allies, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, quickly congratulated him on his “triumph of peace and stability.” Meanwhile, the opposition reported that many of their witnesses were forced to leave polling stations, preventing them from verifying the counts.
The electronic voting system in Venezuela allows voters to select their preferred candidate on a machine, which then sends the results to the CNE headquarters and prints a paper receipt. Parties are legally permitted to send witnesses to verify these paper receipts, but many opposition witnesses were reportedly barred from doing so. As of Sunday night, the opposition had access to less than a third of the printed receipts.
The disputed results and subsequent reactions underscore the deep divisions and ongoing political crisis in Venezuela, with significant implications for the country’s future and its international relations.
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The post International News: Maduro claims victory amidst controversy in Venezuelan Presidential Election appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
Posted: Monday, July 29, 2024. 7:18 am CST. By Horace Palacio: President Nicolás Maduro has emerged victorious in Venezuela’s presidential election, according to partial results announced
The post International News: Maduro claims victory amidst controversy in Venezuelan Presidential Election appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
