The result announced by the national electoral commission CNE comes as a shock to many, including the opposition party leader, as several polling stations pointed to a victory for the socialist Maduro’s opponents, according to the BBC.
– It has been obvious throughout the election campaign that the election did not go well. The government with Maduro at the head has tried to make it as difficult as possible for the opposition, but now the question is whether there was also direct election fraud, says SVT’s foreign reporter Tigran Feiler.
Opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez wrote on the X, shortly before the election results were announced, that the results were indisputable and that “the country has chosen a peaceful change.”
Questioned result
Instead of a change of power, Maduro wins his third term, despite many Venezuelans wanting a change after 25 years with the PSUV socialist party in power.
According to the electoral commission, Maduro received 51 percent of the vote, while the opposition’s Edmundo Gonzalez received 44 percent.
The last election in 2018 has been questioned and called neither free nor fair. Ahead of this year’s election, Gonzalez urged his supporters to keep vigil at polling stations to reduce the risk of voter fraud. According to SVT’s foreign reporter, there is now a concern for a “violent development”, which the president highlights in his victory speech.
– He says that he will deal with those who try to destabilize the country. It is a way for Maduro to scare people into not going out and demonstrating in the streets, says SVT’s foreign reporter.
”Stark oro”
The electoral commission, which is controlled by Maduro loyalists, did not immediately release the tallies from all polling stations, making it harder for the opposition to prove fraud.
– We are already seeing how countries are positioning themselves, says Tigran Feiler.
Among other things, the president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, has said that he will not accept Maduro as president if concrete figures cannot be presented, and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is critical of the result.
– We are deeply concerned that the published result does not reflect the will or the votes of the people of Venezuela, he says.
