Political drama ensued in Venezuela as President Maduro claimed victory in the presidential election on July 29 amid similar claims by the opposition. Venezuela’s electoral authority said Maduro had won a third term with 51% of the vote, despite multiple exit polls pointing to an opposition win. The country’s electoral authority (CNE) said just after midnight on Monday that Maduro had won a third six-year term with 51% of the vote. The authority said Gonzalez won 44%, but opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said Gonzalez had secured 70% of the vote. Meanwhile, the US has expressed serious concerns that the results announced by the electoral authority do not reflect the votes of the people and demanded a detailed tabulation of votes to be published.
