What Is Happening In Venezuela? Both Ruling And Opposition Claim Poll Win Amid Nationwide Protests

Protests broke out in Venezuela after the electoral authority officially declared President Nicolas Maduro victorious for the third time, extending his tenure to 2031.  Against the poll body’s announcement, on Monday, opposition candidate Edmundo González declared his campaign has proof that he won the recent contested election. 

The ruling party maintains tight control over the voting system through a loyal five-member electoral council and a network of long-time local party coordinators who have almost unrestricted access to voting centers and has not released the vote tallies from polling stations across the country. 

What Venezuela Opposition Is Claiming? 

González and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado told reporters they have obtained more than 70% of tally sheets from Sunday's election, and they show González with more than double Maduro’s votes, reported the Associated Press. 

“I speak to you with the calmness of the truth,” González said as dozens of supporters cheered outside campaign headquarters in the capital city of Caracas, reported AP. “We have in our hands the tally sheets that demonstrate our categorical and mathematically irreversible victory.” 

Why Are Venezuelans Protesting? 

Public anger grew after the National Electoral Council (CNE) formally confirmed on Monday that Maduro had been re-elected by a majority of Venezuelans to another six-year term as president for the period 2025-2031, as per a report by Al-Jazeera, 

Political tensions escalated as the National Electoral Council (CNE) is run by Maduro supporters and it has not released the vote tallies from the 30,000 polling stations across Venezuela.  

Both parties called on their supporters to protest the claims, and some did so right after Maduro was declared the winner. This led to a nationwide protest, with demonstrators even toppling a statue of Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chavez, in Falcon state. 

25 Years Of Single-Party Rule 

Venezuela, with the world's largest oil reserves was once Latin America's leading economy. However, after Maduro took power, the country experienced a severe decline, with falling oil prices, widespread shortages of basic goods, and hyperinflation reaching 130,000%. 

U.S. oil sanctions aimed to oust Maduro following his 2018 re-election, which many countries condemned as illegitimate. Instead, the sanctions worsened the situation, speeding up the exodus of about 7.7 million Venezuelans fleeing the crisis. 

US, EU Denounced Poll Results 

Several foreign governments, including the United States (US) and the European Union (EU), have held off recognising the election results. 

On Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden's administration accused Venezuela of electoral manipulation and repression, stating that Caracas' announcement of President Nicolás Maduro winning a third term lacked ‘any credibility.’ 

(With inputs from agencies)