Venezuela's Maduro and opposition both claim election win
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Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro during a July 18 rally in Caracas, Venezuela. Photo: Alfredo Lasry/Getty Images
Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro was announced as the winner in Sunday's election, despite independent exit polls showing opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia had won more votes.
Why it matters: The opposition and NGOs had warned that the government of Maduro, whom voters have soured on after years of economic and democratic collapse, had severely interfered with elections as he sought a third term.
- Polls consistently showed González Urrutia with a wide lead in the election.
Zoom out: The political instability in the country, coupled with deteriorating economic and safety conditions, has forced millions of Venezuelans to flee to the U.S.-Mexico border in recent years.
Driving the news: Elvis Amoroso, the head of the electoral commission CNE and a close Maduro ally, claimed after midnight that the president had netted 51% of the vote.
- The CNE says González got 44% of votes.
- The opposition repeatedly said its electoral observers where unable to verify the count in some voting sites.
- Independent exit polls indicated that González Urrutia had won "twice as many votes" as Maduro, per the Washington Post.
What they're saying: González Urrutia said at a news conference early Monday after the CNE's that he "will not rest" until the will of the people of Venezuela was respected.
- He wrote on X: "The results are undeniable. The country chose a peaceful change."
Flashback: Maduro's party, United Socialist Party of Venezuela (USPV), has been accused of interfering in past elections and of stifling the opposition again this year by arresting dozens of opposition campaign workers, reversing invitations for some international electoral observers, kicking out the UN's Human Rights office and banning key candidates from running.
Between the lines: Only 26% of Venezuelans in late 2023 said they had confidence in the honesty of elections, according to the latest polling by Gallup.
- 68% said they struggle to afford food, and 54% said they do not feel safe walking alone at night.
- "The Maduro era has been characterized by a lot of frustration from the population," said Jesus Rios, Gallup's regional director for Latin America.
Go deeper: Venezuela opposition warns elections observers are being blocked
Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from CNE head Elvis Amoroso and with details on the Venezuelan opposition's election win claim and with further context.
