Maduro is declared winner in Venezuela’s presidential election as opposition claims irregularities

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner in Venezuela’s presidential election Sunday, even as his opponents were preparing to dispute the results, setting up a high-stakes showdown that will determine whether the South American nation transitions away from one party rule.

Elvis Amoroso, head of the National Electoral Council, said Maduro secured 51% of the vote, overcoming opposition candidate Edmundo González, who garnered 44%. He said the results were based on 80% of voting stations, marking an irreversible trend.

It came as opposition leaders were already celebrating, online and outside a few voting centers, what they saw as a landslide victory for González. Their hope was boosted by purported exit polls showing a healthy margin of victory for González. Exit polls are not allowed under Venezuelan law.

The delay in announcing results — six hours after polls were supposed to close — indicated a deep debate inside the government about how to proceed after Maduro’s opponents came out early in the evening all but claiming victory.

The electoral authority, which is controlled by Maduro loyalists, has yet to release the official voting tallies from each of the 30,000 polling centers, hampering the opposition’s ability to verify the results.

Opposition representatives said tallies they collected from campaign representatives at 30% of voting centers showed Gonzalez trouncing Maduro.

Maduro seeking a third term, faced his toughest challenge yet from the unlikeliest of opponents: Edmundo González, a retired diplomat who was unknown to voters before being tapped in April as a last-minute stand-in for opposition powerhouse Maria Corina Machado.

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Associated Press writer Fabiola Sánchez contributed to this report.

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