The victory is overwhelming and for many it was more than a foregone conclusion after the “triumph” obtained in the last parliamentary elections. Candidates for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro have netted 20 of 23 governor seats in addition to the municipality of Caracas in the face of a divided opposition that has participated in a vote for the first time since 2017 after boycotting the presidential and legislative elections.
Elections under the lens of the European Union
The European Union had deployed an election observation mission, the first in 15 years in this oil country of 30 million inhabitants hit by a serious economic crisis. Observers sent to Venezuela will report in the next few hours. Meanwhile, the provisional official results against 90.21% of the votes counted speak of a turnout of 41.8% with 8.1 million voters.
Three states in opposition
The opposition has won in three states: the island of Nueva Esparta, Cojedes and above all Zulia, the most populous oil state in the country whose capital is Maracaibo, the second largest city in Venezuela. “Nice triumph, nice victory, nice harvest fruit of the work”, President Maduro immediately exulted, speaking of “overwhelming results”. Before the announcement, the opponent Henrique Capriles, twice second in the presidential elections, had expressed reservations, believing that the late closure of the polling stations was a source of possible fraud.
Source-tg24.sky.it