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According to the country’s electoral authorities, the ruling party and its supporters have received support of almost 68 percent.
– We have recovered the National Assembly with the majority of the votes of the Venezuelan people. This is undoubtedly a great victory for democracy, Maduro said in a televised speech.
Much of the opposition boycotted the elections, which probably contributed to increasing the Socialist Party’s share of the vote in the elections to the new National Assembly.
Only 31 percent voted
At the same time, turnout was very low, with only 31 percent of eligible voters exercising their right to vote.
Despite the low turnout, the Socialist Party and its supporters will now gain control of the National Assembly. It is the only major institution in Venezuela that until now has not been controlled by Maduro.
The opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, believes that the people’s rejection is evident. Already in August, Guaidó called for a boycott of the elections, arguing that it would be impossible to hold free and fair elections in Venezuela.
“Venezuela has turned its back on Maduro and corruption,” he said in a comment. It has the support of the United States. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote on Twitter that the election in Venezuela is a masquerade.
This fall, people in Venezuela have taken to the streets to protest against the miserable living conditions. There is a shortage of food and medicine, gas and electricity in the country. According to a report from three universities, Caracas is 79 percent of the population living below the poverty line.
Controversial leader
Former bus driver Maduro became president when his model and mentor Hugo Chávez died of cancer in 2013. He was reelected in 2018 and sparked a storm of protests, both at home and abroad.
The United States, the European Union, and many Latin American countries have long accused Maduro of economic mismanagement and oppression. They supported Guaidó when he, as the leader of the National Assembly, was proclaimed interim president in January 2019.
