Maduro Declared Winner In Disputed Presidential Election

Partial results announced by the electoral council in Venezuela indicate that President Nicolás Maduro has won the presidential election. The head of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Elvis Amoros, said that with 80% of ballots counted, President Maduro had 51% of the vote, compared to 44% for his main rival. However, the Venezuelan opposition has vehemently dismissed the CNE’s announcement as fraudulent and has vowed to challenge the result. It said its candidate, Edmundo González, had won 70% of the votes and insisted he was the rightful president-elect. Opposition parties had united behind Mr González in an attempt to unseat President Maduro after 11 years in power. Opinion polls conducted ahead of the election had suggested Mr González would roundly defeat the President. Eight other candidates challenging Maduro were also on Sunday’s ballot, but only González appeared to threaten the President’s rule. The article Maduro Declared Winner In Disputed Presidential Election is from St. Lucia Times.