As thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets in protest, opposition candidate Edmundo González announced on Monday that his campaign has concrete evidence proving his victory in the highly contested election, which electoral authorities had declared a win for President Nicolás Maduro. González, alongside opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, asserted that they possess more than 70% of the tally sheets from Sunday's election, showing González with more than double the votes of Maduro.
"We have in our hands the tally sheets that demonstrate our categorical and mathematically irreversible victory," González declared to a crowd of cheering supporters outside his campaign headquarters in Caracas. He called on citizens to remain calm and to gather peacefully the following day to celebrate the results.
The announcement came after the National Electoral Council (CNE), loyal to Maduro's United Socialist Party of Venezuela, officially declared him the winner, securing his third six-year term. Despite this, protests erupted across the capital and other cities, with demonstrators clashing with riot police who used tear gas to disperse the crowds. In some areas, tensions escalated as police and protesters exchanged stones and other projectiles.
The election, which was among the most peaceful in recent Venezuelan history, initially raised hopes of a non-violent transition after 25 years of single-party rule. However, the opposition's claims of electoral fraud quickly ignited unrest. González and Machado stated that the tally sheets they obtained indicate over 6.2 million votes for González compared to 2.7 million for Maduro.
"A free people is one that is respected, and we are going to fight for our freedom," González emphasized. He urged the public to maintain calmness and firmness in their response to the disputed election results.
Venezuelans vote using electronic machines that provide a paper receipt for each vote, which voters are supposed to deposit in ballot boxes. After polls close, each machine prints a tally sheet showing the votes each candidate received. Despite this system, the ruling party's tight control over the voting process, including the exclusion of opposition representatives from voting centers, has raised serious doubts about the integrity of the results.
Electoral authorities had not released the tally sheets for the 30,000 voting machines as of Monday evening, with the CNE's website down and no clear indication of when the tallies would be available. This lack of transparency prompted calls from electoral observers and the European Union for the immediate release of the data.
In the impoverished Petare neighborhood of Caracas, protests saw people tearing down Maduro's campaign posters and confronting heavily armed security forces. "He has to go. One way or another," said María Arráez, a 27-year-old hairdresser, participating in the demonstrations.
The international community has responded with caution, with several foreign governments, including the U.S. and EU, withholding recognition of the election results. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed "serious concerns" about the announced tally, and Chilean President Gabriel Boric called the results "difficult to believe."
In response to the growing international scrutiny, Maduro's government announced the recall of diplomatic personnel from seven countries in the Americas and urged those nations to do the same. This move reflects the regime's defensive stance amid accusations of electoral manipulation.
The opposition's unified front, a rarity in Venezuelan politics, has been spearheaded by Machado, who was barred from running and subsequently chose González as her substitute. Their campaign focused on addressing economic disparities and promising job creation to entice Venezuelans living abroad to return home.
As the nation awaits the release of the official tally sheets, the political tension shows no signs of abating. The opposition's allegations cast a long shadow over Venezuela's electoral process and its attempts to re-engage with the international community. With millions of Venezuelans still suffering from economic hardships and widespread poverty, the stakes in this electoral dispute extend far beyond the immediate political sphere.
