Nicolas Maduro has been declared the winner of Venezuela's presidential election, securing his third term with 51.2 percent of the vote. This announcement comes after Maduro's stark warning of a 'bloodbath' should he lose the election. Opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia garnered 44.2 percent of the votes, according to the electoral council.
In a speech at the presidential palace shortly after the results were announced, the 61-year-old Maduro proclaimed, "I can say, before the people of Venezuela and the world, I am Nicolas Maduro Moros, the re-elected president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. There will be peace, stability, and justice. Peace and respect for the law."
However, Venezuela's opposition coalition disputed the official results, claiming they had secured 70 percent of the vote. The opposition rejected the figures provided by what they describe as Maduro's loyalist electoral authority.
International reactions were swift. Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves labeled the result as 'fraudulent,' while Chile's president called it 'hard to believe.' Peru responded by recalling its ambassador for consultation over the results, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed 'serious concerns' that the election outcome did not reflect the will of Venezuelan voters.
Independent polls had suggested that Sunday's election might mark the end of 25 years of 'Chavismo,' the populist movement initiated by Maduro's predecessor and mentor, the late Hugo Chavez. Maduro's opponent, former diplomat Urrutia, replaced popular opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on the ticket after Machado was excluded from the race by Maduro's loyalists.
Machado, who campaigned extensively for Urrutia, urged voters to remain vigilant during the vote count amid widespread fears of electoral fraud. Urrutia, 74, assured that the opposition was prepared to defend the vote, expressing trust in the armed forces to respect the people's decision.
After the election results were announced, Machado declared, "We want to say to all of Venezuela and the world that Venezuela has a new president-elect and it is Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia. We won."
The disputed election results have plunged Venezuela into deeper political turmoil, with the opposition and international community questioning the legitimacy of Maduro's victory.
