Venezuelan President Maduro and his opposition rival Gonzales both declared victory in the Venezuelan presidential election on July 29th. If Maduro continues his third presidential term, it will further entrench this South American country under socialism and dictatorship.
The Venezuelan people have been hoping to remove Nicolas Maduro from power through this election to end his socialist ideology control and dictatorial rule over the country.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado believes that Edmundo Gonzalez won 70% of the votes according to the exit poll data, marking a significant electoral victory for them.
The United States, Europe, and other democratic countries expressed doubt or refused to acknowledge Maduro’s claimed victory in the official election results. Communist China, Russia, Cuba, and other dictatorships have congratulated Maduro.
The announcement of the Venezuelan election results on the 28th was delayed by 6 hours. The National Electoral Council controlled by Maduro loyalists declared after midnight on Sunday that Maduro won his third six-year term with 51% of the vote, while Gonzales only received 44%.
Reuters reported that this result would prolong Venezuela’s quarter-century of socialist rule.
However, multiple independent exit polls showed high enthusiasm from opposition voters during the voting process. Opposition leader Machado stated they have around 40% of the vote records, showing that Maduro’s challenger, Gonzales, had won 70% of the votes.
Exit polls from Edison Research, a renowned company conducting election polling in the US and other countries, showed that Gonzales garnered 65% of the votes, while Maduro only received 31%.
Rob Farbman, Executive Vice President of Edison Research, criticized the official results as “absurd” and stated the company stands by its survey results conducted nationwide in Venezuela.
Local firm Meganalisis predicted that Gonzales would secure 65% of the votes while Maduro’s vote share was below 14%.
According to reports from the Associated Press, Maduro’s ruling party used buses to ferry voters to polling stations, with some stations opening late while others remained open to potentially manipulate the vote. Checkpoints in certain areas restricted movement and were used to intimidate those considering voting against Maduro.
In his first speech after Maduro’s victory announcement, Gonzales claimed that the election results were evidently manipulated.
Gonzales stated, “The Venezuelan people and the whole world know what happened.”
Maduro, on the other hand, accused “unidentified foreign enemies” of attempting to interfere with the voting system.
Maduro, 61 years old, rose from being a bus driver and was groomed by Venezuela’s previous dictator Hugo Chavez. Taking power in 1998, Chavez put an end to the country’s bipartisan governance tradition and instilled socialist ideology.
Maduro served as Chavez’s foreign minister and assumed the presidency after Chavez’s death in 2013. In the 2018 election, Maduro claimed victory for a second term, although the US and other democracies deemed the reelection fraudulent, labeling him a dictator.
Gonzales, 74, is a long-time low-profile opposition figure who previously served as a diplomat, known for his calm demeanor.
The opposition’s initial winner from the October 2023 primaries was Machado, 56, but she was later barred from contesting any public office for 15 years by a court controlled by Maduro. Her first substitute was also blocked from registration by the National Electoral Council, rendering them unable to compete.
Initially considered an unlikely opposition candidate, Gonzales had registered as a placeholder in March, later becoming the final opposition candidate in April following Machado’s disqualification.
Subsequently, Machado fully endorsed Gonzales’ campaign.
Majority democratic nations, including the US, EU, and South American countries, have not recognized Venezuela’s official election results.
Shortly after Maduro’s victory announcement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was in Japan at the time, expressed serious concern over the official results of the Venezuelan presidential election.
During a speech in Tokyo on the 29th, Blinken stated, “We’ve seen the announcement from the Venezuelan electoral authorities just a short time ago. We are deeply concerned about the announced results not reflecting the will of the Venezuelan people or their votes.”
“It is crucial that every vote is counted fairly and transparently, election officials must immediately share all information with the opposition and independent observers, and disclose the ballot tabulation. The international community is closely monitoring this and will respond accordingly.”
US Senator Marco Rubio condemned Venezuela’s election as “the most predictable and absurd rigged election in modern history.”
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares called for detailed information on all polling stations in Venezuela to ensure the election results are verifiable. He stated, “We demand maintaining calm and civility on Election Day.”
Argentine President Javier Milei deemed the official election results in Venezuela fraudulent.
Costa Rica and Peru rejected Maduro’s claim of victory. Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves said, “We will work with the democratic countries of the Americas and international organizations to ensure the Venezuelan people are given the respect they deserve.”
Chile stated they would not accept any unverifiable election results. Chilean President Gabriel Boric called Venezuela’s official results “incredible.”
Communist China, Russia, Cuba, Honduras, and Bolivia applauded Maduro’s “victory.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian congratulated Venezuela on the successful presidential election and Maduro’s reelection. He also expressed willingness to “enrich the connotations of the China-Venezuela all-weather strategic partnership.”
China is a major creditor of Venezuela. In September, Maduro visited China, met with Xi Jinping, and claimed the visit aimed to enhance cooperation with the Chinese Communist Party to “establish a new world order.”
Russian President Putin, in congratulating Maduro, stated, “Remember, you are always a welcome guest on Russian soil.”
The Kremlin mentioned that in Putin’s congratulatory message to Maduro, he highlighted the strategic partnership between Russia and Venezuela.
Moscow views Venezuela as a crucial cooperation partner in Latin America, with the two internationally sanctioned countries collaborating over the past two decades in sectors like oil, weapons, and military exercises.
Reuters reported that when asked whether Russia would deepen cooperation with Venezuela, including in defense, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov replied, “We are developing relations with Venezuela in all areas, including sensitive ones.”
Since the opposition’s three rounds of protests in 2014 failed to overthrow Maduro, they pinned their hopes on this election. This election is considered one of the most peaceful in recent years, reflecting the people’s desire for Venezuela to end its 25-year socialist and dictatorial rule without bloodshed.
It remains unclear what steps the Venezuelan opposition will take next. However, Gonzales stated that he does not advocate for supporters to take to the streets or engage in any violence.
Nonetheless, he stated, “Our message of reconciliation and peaceful change remains… our struggle continues, and we will not rest until the will of the Venezuelan people is respected.”
The opposition called for calm, reflecting in part voter fatigue from protests. Surveys also indicate that voters are not eager to take to the streets as before.
According to Reuters, a significant feature of this election campaign was the arrest of opposition workers by the Maduro government, with the opposition claiming these actions aimed to hinder fair elections.
Machado urged the Venezuelan military to protect the election results and noted voters had clearly expressed their rejection of Maduro. However, the military has long supported Maduro, with no public indication of military leaders breaking from the government.
Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves and was once touted as Latin America’s most developed economy. However, under Chavez’s tenure, Venezuela transitioned from prosperity to poverty. With Maduro in power, the country’s economy further plummeted, marked by a steep decline in oil prices, widespread shortages of basic goods, and hyperinflation reaching 130,000%.
In 2018, following criticisms of Maduro’s fraudulent reelection, the US imposed oil sanctions on Venezuela. Coupled with sanctions from the EU and other countries, Venezuela’s oil industry has nearly ground to a halt.
After Maduro’s announcement of “victory” on Monday, market traders saw a decline in Venezuelan debt and national oil company PDVSA bond prices by 1.5 to 5 cents.
Currently, many Venezuelans earn less than $200 per month, while the estimated monthly food cost for a family of four is $385. Some individuals have to take on second and third jobs to make ends meet.
During Maduro’s first two six-year terms, approximately 7.7 million Venezuelans, equivalent to one-fifth of the population, fled abroad in search of opportunities. If Maduro successfully secures reelection, it may further exacerbate the mass exodus of Venezuelans.