Venezuela’s authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro, is facing increased criticism after protests erupted nationwide following the disputed presidential election results.
According to CNN, the election, held on Sunday, saw Maduro declared the winner by the electoral commission.
The election results are highly contested. The National Electoral Council officially announced Maduro as the winner late Sunday, with 80% of the ballots counted, stating he received 51.2% of the votes compared to Gonzalez’s 44.2%.
Final vote tallies have not yet been released by the CNE.
However, the opposition has rejected these results, asserting their own counts show Gonzalez as the winner.
On Monday, they claimed to have over 73% of the tally sheets, indicating more than 6 million votes for Gonzalez and only 2.7 million for Maduro.
From Caracas, Gonzalez and Machado affirmed that all their tallies had been verified and made available online for the public and global leaders, a step that world leaders and opposition figures have urged the CNE to take.
In a private conversation on Monday with Brazilian foreign policy envoy Celso Amorim, Maduro promised to release all voting data, according to a knowledgeable source.
Brazilian President Lula stated that the only resolution to Venezuela’s electoral dispute is to publish the vote tallies. “There is a fight. How do you solve the fight? Publish the tallies,” Lula da Silva said in an interview aired on Brazilian broadcaster Globo.
Lula emphasized that both Maduro and the opposition must present their results. If discrepancies arise, the opposition should file an appeal and wait for a legal decision. He also criticized the impact of “external management” by other countries, asserting that the international community has an “obligation” to accept the results once the tallies are published.
According to Foro Penal, an NGO, at least six people were killed during the protests, although CNN has not yet verified this figure and is awaiting confirmation from Venezuelan police.
Authorities have detained over 700 protestors, and an opposition leader has reportedly been kidnapped, further escalating tensions.
The army, which supports Maduro, has reiterated its loyalty to him. The election was highly significant for Venezuela, a country grappling with economic collapse and a stalling democracy.
Despite Maduro’s promises of a fair election, the process was fraught with allegations of irregularities, including arrests of opposition figures, denial of access for opposition witnesses to the centralized vote count, and restricted voting for overseas Venezuelans.
Opposition supporters, particularly the youth, have expressed a desire to leave the country if Maduro remains in power, citing the economic devastation and violent repression under his rule.
The opposition, led by former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez, presented a significant challenge to Maduro, but the electoral commission declared Maduro the winner with 51.2% of the votes, compared to Gonzalez’s 44.2%.
The opposition, however, claims their own tallies show Gonzalez winning with over 6 million votes against Maduro’s 2.7 million.
International bodies, including the Organization of American States have refused to recognize the election results, citing a lack of transparency.
OAS stated, “The regime of Nicolás Maduro has once again betrayed the Venezuelan people,” and called for the election results to be voided. The Carter Center, another observer, also urged the electoral commission to publish detailed polling station results.
Protests against the election results continued, with opposition leaders Gonzalez and Machado calling for more demonstrations.
Maduro condemned the protests, labeling participants as violent criminals.
In response, Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab reported 749 detentions and numerous injuries among military and police officers during the protests.
International reactions have been mixed. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and various European nations expressed doubts about the election’s legitimacy, calling for a transparent vote count.
Meanwhile, countries like China, Cuba, Iran, and Russia congratulated Maduro.
Venezuela’s main international airport has seen a surge in travelers attempting to leave the country before flights to Panama and the Dominican Republic are suspended due to what Venezuela’s transport minister described as “interventionist actions of right-wing governments.”
Venezuela, once a thriving economy, has experienced a severe economic collapse due to falling oil prices, corruption, and mismanagement, compounded by international sanctions.
Maduro had previously agreed to hold fair elections in exchange for sanctions relief, but the recent disputed election results have cast doubt on the country’s ability to stabilize and reintegrate internationally.
Maduro has held power since the death of Hugo Chávez in 2013. Winning this election would secure his third consecutive six-year term, continuing the “Chavismo” ideology, a left-wing populist movement initiated by Chávez.
In contrast, a unified opposition coalition emerged, bridging their differences to present a strong front.
Their dynamic campaign ignited hope among a disillusioned population eager for change in a nation so economically distressed that around 8 million Venezuelans have left the country.
