CARACAS, Venezuela — President Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner of Venezuela’s contentious presidential election early Monday, despite significant momentum from an opposition movement convinced it would oust Mr. Maduro’s socialist-inspired government.
The National Electoral Council announced just after midnight that Mr. Maduro had secured a third term with 51 percent of the vote, a result at odds with multiple exit polls predicting an opposition victory.
Opposition candidate Edmundo González received 44 percent of the vote, according to the electoral authority. The opposition, however, maintained that it had “reasons to celebrate” and urged supporters to continue monitoring the vote count.
Appearing before jubilant supporters at the presidential palace, Mr. Maduro celebrated his re-election as a triumph of peace and stability, reiterating his campaign’s claim of a transparent electoral process. He announced plans to sign a decree on Monday for a “great national dialogue.”
The Caracas night sky was illuminated with fireworks, and lighted drones formed a vibrant image of Mr. Maduro above the presidential palace.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado disputed the official results, asserting that Mr. González had actually won 70 percent of the vote, based on multiple independent exit polls and quick counts. “Venezuela has a new president-elect, and it is Edmundo González. We won, and the whole world knows it,” she declared in a joint statement with Mr. González.
Mr. González, addressing his supporters, urged them to remain peaceful. An exit poll by Edison Research had predicted a 65 percent victory for Mr. González, while local firm Meganalisis estimated he would receive 65 percent of the vote compared to just under 14 percent for Mr. Maduro.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed serious concerns about the announced results, questioning whether they accurately reflected the will of the Venezuelan people. He called for the electoral authorities to publish a detailed tabulation of votes.
Elvis Amoroso, president of the National Electoral Council, stated that approximately 80 percent of ballot boxes had been counted, attributing delays to an “aggression” against the electoral data transmission system. Mr. Amoroso reported a voter turnout of 59 percent and called for an investigation into alleged “terrorist actions” disrupting the process.
The opposition has long accused the electoral council of being biased in favor of the government. On Sunday night, they reported several instances where opposition observers were barred from polling stations, and their top official overseeing the national count was not permitted to witness it.
Ms. Machado reiterated a call for the military to respect the election results. “The people of Venezuela have spoken: they don’t want Maduro,” she said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “It is time to put yourselves on the right side of history.”
Venezuela’s military, which has consistently supported Mr. Maduro, showed no signs of defection. Mr. Maduro, a 61-year-old former bus driver and foreign minister, continues to hold the loyalty of the armed forces.
