Venezuela's incumbent leader Nicolás Maduro has declared victory in a contentious presidential election, sparking immediate skepticism both within the country and internationally. The announcement, made early Monday, comes after a tumultuous voting process marked by irregularities and opposition protests.
With 80% of voting stations counted, Venezuela's election authority reported that Maduro received 51.2% of the vote, while opposition candidate Edmundo González secured 44.2%. However, the integrity of these results has been called into question, given the Maduro government's history of manipulating election outcomes.
María Corina Machado, a prominent opposition figure who was barred from running, vehemently rejected the results. "We won and the whole world knows it," Machado told reporters in Caracas, calling the declared outcome "impossible" based on her team's turnout data.
The international community has also expressed doubts. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking from Tokyo, voiced "serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people."
Reports of irregularities were widespread. At some polling places, officials refused to release printouts verifying the electronic vote count. Instances of voter intimidation were reported, and some polling stations opened late or experienced malfunctioning voting machines. In Caracas, at the Andrés Bello school voting station, journalists observed men in unmarked black jackets temporarily blocking access, resulting in a scuffle where one woman was punched.
The election comes after 25 years of rule by Maduro's socialist party, a period marked by economic collapse and mass emigration. Millions of Venezuelans had rallied behind González, a former diplomat who became the opposition candidate after Machado was disqualified. Machado had energized the opposition with promises to restore democracy and address the country's ongoing crisis.
Maduro's government made significant efforts to influence the election outcome. In the weeks leading up to the vote, members of the Machado-González campaign were arrested, and most Venezuelans living abroad were prevented from casting ballots. On election day, there were reports of government security forces attempting to remove opposition-allied vote monitors and replace them with unauthorized personnel.
The disputed election raises concerns about potential street demonstrations and further political instability. The government's history of violently suppressing protests looms large over any potential public response to the results.
Internationally, the outcome is being closely watched, particularly by the United States. Washington has long sought to push Maduro from power, imposing severe sanctions in 2019 that further strained Venezuela's already crippled economy. The country's vast oil reserves and Maduro's close relationships with U.S. adversaries including Russia, Iran, and China add to the geopolitical significance of this election.
If Maduro's declared victory stands, it will extend the rule of Chavismo, Venezuela's socialist-inspired movement, into its third decade. Founded by former President Hugo Chávez, the movement initially promised to lift millions out of poverty. However, in recent years, it has presided over an economic contraction of historic proportions and become the source of one of the world's largest migrant crises.
* The New York Times contributed to this article.
