Despite widespread opposition claims and international doubts, the National Electoral Council proclaimed Nicolás Maduro as the re-elected president of Venezuela this Monday. Elvis Amoroso, the chief electoral authority, stated that citizens expressed their clear will to keep the man who has resided in the Miraflores palace since 2013 at the helm, amid an internal conflict that risks flaring again as the main opposition blocs refuse to recognize the result and request a recount of the vote tallies. Maria Corina Machado went further on Sunday night, knowing the CNE would deliver a predictable verdict, by naming Edmundo González Urrutia, the nominee of the Democratic Unity Platform, the legitimate winner of the race.
Amoroso dismissed any concerns about the process leading to Maduro’s disputed victory. He noted, however, that some parties attempted to incite violence on Sunday and that the voting system faced significant cyber-attacks causing delays in the tabulation. Yet he emphasized that the moral and ethical integrity of the people who make up the CNE overcame these hurdles. The president attended the ceremony, arriving with Amoroso to address suspicions about the closeness of government and electoral authorities. As the ceremony began, the sound of pots and pans echoed through several neighborhoods of Caracas, signaling a loud first public expression of dissent.
“Maduro chose the worst path, denying and appropriating the sovereignty that resides in the people and voting against them. I used to be an optimist that, faced with such a sweeping result, Maduro would acknowledge and accept the outcome. He always manages to surprise, but for the worse,” commented Henrique Capriles, the former presidential candidate defeated by Maduro in 2013 by a margin of two percentage points that sparked controversy. “The streets of Venezuela are speaking in silence right now. There is no celebration.”
Guaidó 2.0
The opposition will likely press for international pressure and perhaps mobilization to create political conditions that allow a vote tally review. Maduro blocked that option on Sunday. “The dignity of the Venezuelan people will not be compromised. The fascism in Venezuela, the land of Bolívar and Chávez, will not pass today or ever,” he declared, tying his fate to the country’s. His supporters echoed the sentiment as celebrations began again in the early hours of July 29. “I said I would arrive in peace, and peace arrived. If there is something to defend, it is peace, harmony, and the coexistence among Venezuelans.” He argued that this much-discussed peace rests on accepting the results without objection. “There is an attempt to impose another coup in Venezuela, a fascist one that I call Guaidó 2.0,” he stated, referring to the former deputy’s self-proclamation as “president in charge” in January 2019 with backing from Washington and support from parts of the EU and Latin America. “Tell the conspirators and supporters who back this operation that the movie is already known and this time there will be no weakness.”
The attorney general of Venezuela, Tarek William Saab, joined the presidential admonition. After announcing that the CNE would present all the electoral act sheets, counting them one by one, Saab asserted that Sunday’s delays were the result of an external action intended to manipulate the data received by the agency, an operation said to have originated “from Northern Macedonia.” Saab, a key figure in the Maduro faction, also claimed that such moves targeted Machado and two Voluntad Popular members, Leopoldo López and Lester Toledo, all outside of Venezuela. He added that the operation was thwarted, but the data reception had been slowed deliberately. Saab provided no evidence but said an investigation was opened and warned that the attorney general’s office remains vigilant for any calls to insurrection by radical factions in coming hours. Potential participants could face charges related to public incitement, obstruction of roadways, incitement to hatred, and defiance of authority.
The government welcomed comments from some minor party candidates who took part as extras in this political drama. José Brito of Primero Venezuela urged peace. Benjamín Russeo of Confederación Nacional Democrática thanked the millions who supported the official candidate and all those who contributed their vote to shaping Venezuela’s destiny. Luis Eduardo Martínez of Acción Democrática shared similar sentiments, signaling satisfaction with the turnout and the outcome.
In a section labeled Numbers of Disaffection, the piece notes that the self-styled “workers’ president,” a figure who never worked in a factory, carried out a campaign that drew 5,150,092 votes while the electoral roll included 21,323,253 eligible voters. Roughly five million people did not participate, largely due to living abroad and lacking access to registration. Official tallies show 10,058,770 ballots cast, a turnout of about 59 percent. Of those, 51.2 percent backed Maduro, roughly a quarter of citizens eligible to vote. About 44 percent chose González Urrutia, with 41 percent abstaining. The level of disengagement appears high, yet it did not dampen celebrations by the Socialist Unified Party (PSUV).
Analyzing the numbers, critics note that a substantial share of the labor force that once supported a Chávez-era social revolution now focuses on personal survival. Some observers argue Maduro did not need to promise a broad reform, only steady inflation and an economy projected to grow around 4.2 percent in 2024. Maduro himself positions his role as a guarantor of national consumption while the narrative points to a reduction in real wages and labor rights. Analysts from across the political spectrum suggest that migration trends, especially among younger workers, are reshaping the electorate. One observer cites the Enron concession as a sign that external actors influence economic policies. This analysis highlights the evolving demographics and the persistent tension between economic expectations and political stability. (Attribution: Central Venezuelan political and economic commentary.)