The 2024 Venezuela presidential election has recently been concluded (but with conflicting results).
During the early hours of Monday, the National Electoral Council, controlled by loyalists of incumbent President Nicolás Maduro, declared him the winner with 51% of the vote. However, the opposition, led by candidate Edmundo González, has vehemently contested this result.
González, in one of his first public statements following the election, said on X, “The results are undeniable. The country chose a peaceful change.”
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado supported this claim, stating that González’s victory margin was well above the 44% the result said he got, based on tallies from approximately 40% of ballot boxes nationwide.
In addition to the irregularities, the announcement of the Venezuela presidential election results was delayed by six hours after polls closed. This led most people to speculate that foul play within the government may likely be involved. When Maduro finally addressed his supporters at the presidential palace, he accused unspecified foreign enemies of attempting to hack the voting system. He provided no evidence for this claim.
International reaction to this matter has mostly been cautious. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had “serious concerns” that the announced results may not reflect the will of the Venezuelan people. Chilean President Gabriel Boric echoed these sentiments, stating that his country would not recognize results that cannot be verified.
The Venezuela presidential election was seen as Maduro’s toughest challenge yet, as he sought a third term amidst economic hardship and mass emigration from Venezuela. The opposition had united behind González, a retired diplomat who became a last-minute replacement for the barred candidate Maria Corina Machado.
