Venezuela's presidential election on Monday, July 29, has resulted in both incumbent President Nicolas Maduro and opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez claiming victory amid accusations of foul play and sporadic violence.
Early Monday morning, Venezuela’s electoral authority announced that Maduro had secured a third term with 51% of the vote. This declaration came despite several exit polls suggesting a win for the opposition.
However, the electoral authority reported that Gonzalez received 44% of the vote, as per Reuters.
Gonzalez took to social media account X (formerly Twitter), late Sunday night saying, "The results cannot be hidden. The country has peacefully chosen a change.”
Meanwhile, Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado called on the military to honor the election results, stating, "The people of Venezuela have spoken: they don’t want Maduro. It is time to put yourselves on the right side of history."
Historically, the military has supported Maduro, and there have been no indications of any shift in loyalty from the armed forces' leaders.
While, polling data before the election showed a different story, with Edison Research predicting a 65% win for Gonzalez compared to 31% for Maduro.
According to national electoral council president Elvis Amoroso, 80% of the ballot boxes have been counted. He cited an “aggression” against the electoral data transmission system as the reason for the delayed results.
