Venezuela on Edge: International Leaders Doubt Maduro's Election 'Triumph'!

In an event that has surprised no one, Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and the Opposition have both declared themselves as winners of the July 28 elections. Tensions are being reported as high across the Bolivarian Republic, while the United States and other regional countries have officially expressed concerns about the results announced by Venezuelan National Electoral Council (CNE) do not reflect the will or the vote of the people.

Maduro at Miraflores Palace post results - Bloomberg photo

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has stated that the international community was watching closely and would respond accordingly. "It's critical that every vote is counted fairly and transparently, that election officials immediately share information with the opposition and electoral observers without delay and that the electoral authorities publish detailed tabulation of votes," he said.

 According to international news reports, the presidents of Peru, Chile, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Argentina and Uruguay, all either denounced or cast doubt on the results, with sone even saying they would not recognize Maduro’s win. Independent exit polling on elections day, had  suggested that the Unified Opposition ticket, represented by Edmundo Gonzalez was ahead by more than 30 points.

 However, unsurprisingly, and after some delay Venezuela’s electoral center declared that Maduro won 51.2% of the vote, compared with 44.2% for rival Edmundo González. According to the CNE these were the results after about 80 % of the vote were counted. But Opposition leader María Corina Machado in a news conference said that their own records showed their candidate Edmundo González Urrutia received 70% of the vote against Maduro’s 30%. Ms Machado stands firm on her belief that the opposition are the winners of Sunday’s elections and that they would work to defend the truth. She has also called on the Venezuelan military to enforce the will of the people.

Machado and Gonzalez post results press conference - Bloomberg photo

The People’s Hopeful, Edmundo Gonzalez has urged supporters to remain calm and avoid protests but he would advise them on next steps. Mr Gonzalez relied on a network of about 30,000 volunteer observers at polling stations.

 Opposition leaders claimed there were election irregularities including opposition witnesses being denied access to the CNE headquarters as the authority counted votes, and the CNE allegedly halting data being sent from local polling stations to their central location to prevent more votes from being processed.

Meanwhile back the the presidential palace, as the results were announced, pro-government supporters who were gathered outside were much more jubilant. International news agencies accounts report that fireworks could be heard throughout the city, mixed with people banging on pots and pans. After the results were announced, Maduro described it as a “triumph of peace, stability, republican ideals, and the ideas of equality.”

Mr Maduro has received congratulatory messages from Bolivia, Honduras, and Cuba’spresidents.

There were mounting concerns that the opposition would not see a fair contest, with Ms Machado just days ago sharing with CNN that “the regime will try to steal the election. But I have trust, full confidence in what the Venezuelan people voted for. We have built a platform to defend our votes; it’s unprecedented.”

Maduro’s government controls all public institutions in Venezuela including the Supreme Court – which could be the final arbiter on any claim of electoral fraud. The government has also been accused of rigging votes in the past, which it denied.