By D. Maan, Jadetimes News
Maduro Declared Winner in Contested Venezuelan Election
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been declared the victor in the country's presidential election, according to partial results announced by the National Electoral Council. Elvis Amoroso, head of the CNE and a close ally of Maduro, announced that with 80% of ballots counted, Maduro received 51% of the vote versus 44% for his main opponent, Edmundo González.
The Venezuelan opposition rejected the results announced by CNE immediately and termed them fraudulent, promising to challenge them. According to them, their candidate González had really won with 70% of the votes and was therefore the legitimate president elect. They said that according to their own vote counts and quick counts, González held a massive lead over the current president.
Opposition parties had rallied behind González in hopes of defeating Maduro after 11 years of consecutive rule. Pre election opinion polls showed González, an opposition leader, easily winning the election. Massive implications for the result have not just been on the outcome for Venezuela's 29.4 million inhabitants but also on the broader region and international relations.
The presidency of Maduro has seen more than 7.8 million people flee Venezuela in the past decade, according to unofficial estimates, due to the severe political and economic crisis he has brought upon the country. Pre election polls suggested this exodus could accelerate. One survey said a third of the population was thinking about emigrating.
One of the top issues to be debated at the US election, immigration will have implications not only in Washington but also in Latin American countries that have absorbed hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants. The Venezuelan economy is also of significance for global markets because it holds the largest oil reserves worldwide.
Maduro has blamed US sanctions for Venezuela's economic travails and built strong relationships with China, Iran, and Russia each of them, like Venezuela, estranged from the US. If he were to leave office, this could mean Venezuela realigns its alliances away from these nations and, perhaps most importantly, its closest partner, Cuba. If Maduro is able to stay in power, he is likely to strengthen them.
Many Venezuelans said they were tired of 25 years of socialist rule by the PSUV party, first under the late President Hugo Chávez and then under Maduro. anger at the government was palpable in the poor Caracas neighborhood of Petare. "This government had all the opportunities to make Venezuela a great country, but instead we have misery," said Hector Emilio D'Avila. "Our children have to go through the Darien Gap to the US. Many Venezuelans are dying."
There were pervasive concerns about electoral fraud. The 2018 victory of Maduro had been widely criticized as neither free nor fair. However, the opposition hoped that the large margin would avoid fears that the Maduro administration might "steal the election."
Community leader Katiuska Camargo said that while there had been years of "collective disappointment," a great many had decided to vote, determined to see the current administration ousted. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US had "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" so the outcome is certain to reflect the will of the voters. Chilean President Gabriel Boric said the result was "hard to believe," demanding transparency and an independent count of the results. Uruguay's president blasted the Maduro government, saying they would "win" no matter what the actual vote had been.
Allies of Maduro hastened to congratulate him. Russian President Vladimir Putin invited Maduro, and Cuban President Miguel Díaz Canel referred to the Venezuelan people as resilient. Maduro himself described the result as "a triumph of peace and stability," touting the Venezuelan election system and mocking his opponents.
Opposition officials said they had posted thousands of witnesses at polling stations to observe the vote count but many were "forced to leave". In Venezuela, voting is electronic, and parties are allowed to send witnesses to count paper receipts produced by the voting machines. The opposition was given access to less than a third of those printed receipts. It became impossible for them to verify the results that were announced by the CNE.
