After midnight and with no official results, González Urrutia pressured the Government to go ahead with the release of the figures and assured that “the results cannot be hidden.”
The opposition candidate then claimed victory over President Maduro. “The country chose a peaceful change,” said González Urrutia.
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The results are undeniable. The country has chosen a peaceful change.
— Edmundo Gonzalez (@EdmundoGU) July 29, 2024
Earlier, he said there was “massive participation, never seen in recent years“But he called on “witnesses to remain in the centres until they receive the corresponding report.”
At the same time, Maria Corina Machado, leader of the opposition, spoke to the Bolivarian people: “Venezuelans, this is until the end. That means that we all stay in the voting centers until the votes are counted and the records are obtained. We will make the truth prevail and respect popular sovereignty,” she said.
Machado had asked his followers to remain in the voting centers to monitor the counting of the presidential vote this Sunday in Venezuela, in which his candidate Edmundo González Urrutia faces the president Nicolás Maduro: “These are decisive hours,” he said.
corina machado and gonzalez urrutia.mp4
After the polls closed, the leader who was disqualified from being a candidate called for observation “piece of paper by piece of paper”“It’s 6:00 p.m., the time has come! If there are no people in line, we have to close the polling stations. It’s time for you to see how your vote is counted, piece of paper by piece of paper,” said Machado.
Likewise, in his X account, he stated: “To all witnesses: YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO TAKE THE RECORD. The record is the evidence, make sure you have it and follow the Command protocol.”
Elections in Venezuela: Nicolas Maduro and Edmundo González Urrutia are fighting for the future of the country
Venezuela is holding its breath as the vote count in Sunday’s presidential election, in which President Maduro is risking the continuity of 25 years of Chavismo against the opposition’s offer of change.
Maduro, 61 years old, has held the post since 2013, anointed by socialist leader Hugo Chavez shortly before his death. He faces Gonzalez Urrutia, 74 years old, representative of the charismatic and popular opposition leader Machado, prevented from running due to political disqualification.
He National Electoral Council (CNE)of official line, waits until there is an irreversible trend to announce results, and does not give partial reports.
The electoral process is automated, with results centralized by the CNE.
Maduro assured that he will recognize and defend the result that the electoral body should disclose. “I recognize and will recognize the electoral referee, the official bulletins and I will ensure that they are respected,” he said.
Most polls favour González, a low-profile diplomat who benefits from the great popularity of María Corina Machado, after years of a crisis that shrank the Gross Domestic Product by 80% and forced more than seven million people to flee, according to UN data.
