The apparent victory of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela's presidential elections elicited both congratulations and criticism, with many raising scepticism, suspicion, and calls for transparency.
According to the National Electoral Council, the United Socialist Party’s Maduro secured 51 per cent of the vote, while the opposition candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez garnered 44 per cent. Gonzalez represented the Unitary Platform, a coalition of Venezuela’s main opposition parties. Both parties had claimed victory before the electoral council’s final announcement.
Meanwhile, Maduro accused unidentified foreign enemies of trying to hack the voting system.
It should also be noted that Maduro, who secured his third term, is very unpopular among many voters as they blame his policies for crushing wages, spurring hunger, and crippling the oil industry among others.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US has "serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people."
He said the international community was watching the vote "very closely" and would react accordingly.
While Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Maduro’s win.
Also, the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell stressed that "the people of Venezuela voted on the future of their country peacefully.”
The president of Uruguay Luis Lacalle Pou said, "It was an open secret that they were going to win whatever the real results were." The process, right up to the day of the election and the count itself, was clearly corrupt, he said.
While, Argentina's Javier Milei said "GET OUT, MADURO, YOU DICTATOR!!!” “Venezuelans chose to put an end to Nicolás Maduro’s communist dictatorship. The data shows a crushing opposition victory and the world is waiting for the defeat of years of socialism, misery, decadence and death to be recognised.”
Germany's foreign ministry said that “the announced election results are not enough to dispel doubts about the vote count in Venezuela.”
“We call for the publication of detailed results for all polling stations & access to all voting and election documents for opposition and observers,” it added.
"We are concerned by allegations of serious irregularities in the counting and declared results of Sunday’s presidential election in Venezuela." “The will of the Venezuelan people must be respected. Despite the many challenges, we will continue to work toward a more democratic, prosperous, and secure future for the people of Venezuela,” said US VP Kamala Harris.
President of Guatemala Bernardo Arévalo has said that Venezuela deserves transparent results. "We receive the results announced by the CNE with many doubts,” he said.
The Dutch foreign minister, Caspar Veldkamp, has said that “the Kingdom of the Netherlands is worried about the current developments and calls for full transparency in the electoral process and the handling of results.”
Meanwhile, the British foreign office issued a statement on the situation in Venezuela calling for the publication of detailed results.