Elections in Venezuela, the government and the opposition claim victory

2024-07-29 14:56:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

In Venezuela, President Nicolas Maduro and opposition challenger Edmundo Gonzales both claimed on Monday to be the winners of the presidential election, while Washington and other foreign governments have cast doubt on the official result of the vote, which left the incumbent in power.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro has won elections for a new term, election bodies announced Monday, after votes the opposition had expressed confidence he would win.

The National Electoral Council released the election results six hours after the polls closed, declaring that Mr. Maduro won 51 percent of the vote, compared to 44 percent for opposition candidate Edmundo González.

The data published by the central election institution did not contain the results of every voting unit.

Addressing supporters at a rally in the capital Caracas on Monday morning, Mr Maduro promised "peace and security".

"I am Nicolas Maduro Moro, the re-elected president of the Republic of Venezuela," he said.

The leader of the opposition, Maria Corina Machado, did not recognize the result of the election, saying that the winner was the opposition candidate, González, with 70 percent of the vote. "We have to tell the people of Venezuela and the whole world that Venezuela has elected a new president and he is Edmundo González," she said.

As Mr. Maduro celebrated victory for a third term, many foreign governments called for transparency over the vote-counting process.

"We have serious concerns that the announced result does not reflect the will or the votes of the people of Venezuela," said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

During his speech, Mr. Maduro dismissed criticism from foreign governments while describing Venezuela's electoral institution, which is controlled by his loyalists, as more credible than electoral authorities in other countries, such as the United States.

Chile's president, Gabriel Boric, said it was hard to believe the election result.

The governments of other countries, such as Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay, also called in a joint statement for transparency on the counting of votes, as the only way to ensure that the announced data reflects the desire of Venezuelan voters.

The head of the European Union's foreign policy, Josep Borrell, said that access to the data of voting results in each election center is "vital" and that the will of the people of Venezuela "must be respected".

Some allies, such as the President of Cuba and that of Honduras, congratulated Mr. Maduro. Moscow said it would strengthen ties with Caracas.

Mr. Maduro is serving his second presidential term and Sunday's vote was his strongest electoral challenge yet.

Candidate Gonzales is a retired diplomat who entered the race in April after Venezuela's Supreme Court barred opposition leader Machado from running./ Voa