Maduro's Election Victory Branded as Fraudulent, Opposition Claims Victory

Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro is accused of stealing Sunday's election, securing another six-year term amidst widespread skepticism and allegations from the opposition.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been accused of fraudulently winning Sunday's election, ensuring himself another six-year term despite widespread skepticism and allegations from the opposition that they actually won.

Numerous regional governments and international organizations have cast doubt on the official vote tally, which showed Maduro with 51.2% of the vote after 80% of polling stations reported. The opposition contends that the results are inaccurate and claims that it won the election with 70% of the vote.

Maduro's Election Victory Branded as Fraudulent, Opposition Claims Victory

Polls taken over the summer consistently showed opposition candidate Edmundo González winning by double-digit margins. However, when the National Electoral Council announced around midnight that Maduro received 51% of the vote to González's 44%, Elvis Amoroso, head of the council, claimed the results were based on 80% of voting stations and represented an irreversible trend.

Despite Maduro being declared the winner for a third term, the opposition proclaimed victory, setting up a showdown with the government over the results.

Maduro's Election Victory Branded as Fraudulent, Opposition Claims Victory

"Another foreign policy fiasco from the Biden-Harris team," tweeted Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), criticizing the Biden administration's policies towards Venezuela. "They gave Maduro relief from Trump oil sanctions and released his top money launderer & his two convicted drug dealer nephews in exchange for a 'promise' to hold fair elections monitored by neutral international observers."

The electoral authority, controlled by Maduro loyalists, has not immediately published the results from each of the 30,000 polling booths, hindering the opposition's ability to challenge the outcome after alleging it only has data for about 30% of the ballot boxes.

Maduro's Election Victory Branded as Fraudulent, Opposition Claims Victory

"The Venezuelans and the entire world know what happened," said González.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado claimed González's margin of victory was "overwhelming." She stated that the opposition had voting results from about 40% of ballot boxes across the country and that more were expected overnight.

Maduro's Election Victory Branded as Fraudulent, Opposition Claims Victory

U.S. and international officials and lawmakers expressed skepticism about the validity of the results. A bipartisan group of congressional leaders denounced the outcome as fraudulent and demanded the release of political prisoners.

Speaking in Tokyo, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised "serious concerns" about the announced results. He said the U.S. feared the outcome did not reflect the will of the Venezuelan people and called for election officials to release the full results immediately.

Maduro's Election Victory Branded as Fraudulent, Opposition Claims Victory

State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel echoed Blinken's concerns, stating that the U.S. believes the results "do not reflect the will and the votes of the Venezuelan people."

Leaders from across the region were quick to condemn the result. Argentina's President Javier Milei said, "Not even Maduro believes the electoral scam he is celebrating. Neither does the Argentine Republic."

Panama's new President Jose Raul Mulino suspended diplomatic relations until a complete review of voting records is conducted.

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele condemned the election as "fraud," saying the official results had no relation to reality.

Opposition representatives in Venezuela claim their tallies, collected from 30% of polling centers, show González defeating Maduro.

The controversy over the election results raises concerns about the future of democracy in Venezuela and the potential for further unrest and instability.