Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro wins third term; US expresses concern

Incumbent Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been re-elected as the country's president for the third term, despite being deeply unpopular as the South American nation for years has been grappling with an economic crisis under his leadership.

Venezuela’s election body on July 28 announced that the 61-year-old leader had won 51.2% of votes while his rival Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia won 44.2% of votes.

However, the opposition has claimed that the incumbent Maduro garnered no more than 30% of the vote while Urrutia won 70%.

Maduro has often been accused of being an authoritarian by the Rights group in the country in a bid to hold on to power.

Opinion polls had also predicted a massive loss for Maduro, but he seems to have benefited from a wall-to-wall, state-sponsored propaganda drive.

He was also accused of harassing the opposition through a persecution campaign, dozens of arrests, and political disqualification of rivals.

Meanwhile, the United States has expressed concerns over the results announced, saying it does not reflect the votes of the people.

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on July 29 said “We've seen the announcement just a short while ago by the Venezuelan electoral commission. We have serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people.”

He made the remarks during a meeting of the Indo-Pacific nations to address the development.
He said the international community was watching closely and would respond accordingly.

"Every vote must be counted fairly and transparently, that election officials immediately share information with the opposition and electoral observers without delay and that the electoral authorities publish detailed tabulation of votes," he said.

Washington had rejected the 2018 re-election of Socialist leader Maduro. Washington, which rejected the 2018 reelection of Socialist leader Maduro.

Last year, it had eased sanctions on Venezuela's oil industry following a deal between Maduro and opposition parties. However, Washington later reinstated the sanctions, citing actions that it claimed threatened an inclusive democratic vote.

US officials had said that future sanctions would be calibrated based on how the elections were conducted in the country.