Leaders in the U.S. and in several Latin American nations are questioning Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro’s claim of victory in the country’s presidential election over the weekend.
Both Maduro and his opponent, Edmundo Gonzalez, have claimed victory, with the government’s vote tallies showing 51 percent of the vote for Maduro, the socialist strongman.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said Gonzalez won with 70 percent of the vote and declared Gonzalez the president-elect, setting up an election dispute that could throw Venezuela into further turmoil after a quarter century of socialist rule.
Already suffering from widespread poverty and hyperinflation, some Venezuelans took to the streets to protest the election results and voice frustrations with Maduro. Millions of Venezuelans have fled the oil-rich nation in recent years because of the food shortages and social unrest that have come to define Maduro’s rule.
Gonzalez, who emerged as the opposition candidate after Maduro’s regime blocked Machado from running for office, disputed the government’s vote tallies.
“We will not rest until the will of the people of Venezuela is respected,” Gonzalez said in a statement.
Venezuela’s election authority delayed the announcement of the election results when the opposition expressed confidence that it had the votes necessary to defeat Maduro, citing exit polls showing overwhelming support for Gonzalez.
The U.S. is not recognizing the Venezuelan election results because of “serious concerns” about the integrity of the process.
“We have serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. The Biden administration restored oil sanctions on Venezuela ahead of the election after Maduro reneged on a deal to oversee a democratic electoral process in exchange for sanctions relief.
Leaders from across South America have expressed doubt about the legitimacy of Venezuela’s electoral process and urged Maduro to respect the will of his people. A few leaders outright rejected the election results, siding with the opposition,
“DICTADOR MADURO, AFUERA!!!” declared Argentina President Javier Milei.
“Not that way! It was an open secret. They were going to ‘win’ regardless of the actual results. The process up to election day and counting was clearly flawed. You cannot recognize a triumph if you can’t trust the forms and mechanisms used to achieve it,” said Luis Lacalle Pou, the president of Uruguay.
Other Latin American leaders called for transparency and expressed worries about the outcome, including leftist Chilean president Gabriel Boric.
“Maduro’s regime must understand that the results are hard to believe. The international community and especially the Venezuelan people, including the millions of Venezuelans in exile, demand total transparency,” he said.
“Venezuela deserves transparent, accurate results that adhere to the will of its people. We receive the results announced by the CNE (electoral authority) with many doubts. This is why electoral observation mission reports are essential, and today more than ever, must defend Venezuelans’ votes,” said Bernardo Arevalo, the left-wing president of Guatemala.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Latin American socialist leaders recognized Maduro’s claim to victory, framing it as a triumphant result for his socialist party.
“I am confident that your activities at the head of state will continue to contribute to their progressive development in all directions,” Putin said of Maduro.
“Nicolas Maduro, my brother, your victory, which is that of the Bolivarian and Chavista people, has cleanly and unequivocally defeated the pro-imperialist opposition,” said Miguel Diaz-Canel, the president of Cuba.
Even though he declared victory, Maduro accused foreign actors of meddling with the Venezuelan election, without providing evidence to back up his claim. Maduro’s foreign minister claimed that U.S. senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio, both Republicans from Florida, were among a group of foreign officials who interfered with the election.
Maduro has ruled Venezuela for more than decade, following the footsteps of longtime socialist dictator Hugo Chavez.