General
Venezuela’s Government Claims Victory in Polls Boycotted by Opposition Leader
Polling places in Caracas, the capital, and other cities were sparsely populated but officials claimed turnout was higher than 40 percent.
Venezuela’s electoral council, stacked with officials loyal to the autocrat Nicolás Maduro, claimed late Sunday night that his party had won an overwhelming victory in regional and legislative elections.
The results, announced on state television and presented without evidence, stripped the opposition of some of the last few positions it held, including the governor’s seat of Zulia, the country’s most populous state, and the heart of its oil wealth.
Despite near empty streets and polling places, the electoral council claimed that turnout was higher than 40 percent. There were no independent observers present to verify that assertion, and the electoral council did not post the results online, as it had done in elections before 2024.