Venezuelan Local Elections Ruling Party Landslide Victory... Maduro Calls It a "Beautiful Win"

Victory in 20 of 23 States... Opposition Suffers Crushing Defeat Amid Division
Allegations of Election Fraud Persist... EU and UN Observer Reports to Be Released Soon

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] In the Venezuelan regional elections, the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), led by President Nicolas Maduro, achieved a landslide victory. As the opposition's position, which resists Maduro's long-term rule, is expected to narrow further, controversy is expanding with renewed allegations of election fraud centered around the opposition. With monitoring teams dispatched from external organizations such as the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN) expected to soon announce their surveillance results, international pressure is likely to intensify if evidence of election fraud emerges.

According to foreign media including the Associated Press (AP) on the 22nd (local time), the vote count from the Venezuelan regional elections held the previous day showed that PSUV secured governors in 20 out of the 23 states across Venezuela. According to the 90% vote count status announced by the Venezuelan National Electoral Council, the ruling party is likely to win in 20 states and the capital Caracas. In contrast, the opposition won only three governorships, one fewer than in the 2017 regional elections, falling short of expectations.

President Maduro celebrated the election results as a "beautiful victory and harvest," emphasizing that "all Venezuelan citizens must respect the election results and prepare for a new era." This election was the first in four years in which the opposition, which has opposed the Maduro regime, participated. The opposition had raised doubts about the 2017 regional election results, where the ruling party won, and subsequently boycotted the 2018 presidential and 2020 parliamentary elections, citing the impossibility of fair elections.

This time, amid concerns about the limitations of the boycott strategy, the opposition decided to participate in the election but was significantly outperformed by the ruling party due to internal divisions. The overall voter turnout was also low at 41.8%, which analysts say favored the ruling party. Consequently, there are concerns that the leadership of opposition leader Juan Guaid?, recognized as Venezuela's president by countries including the United States, will be seriously shaken.

Meanwhile, allegations of election fraud continue to be raised. Earlier, Enrique Capriles, a prominent opposition politician and former governor of Miranda state, protested on Twitter, stating, "Maduro and the ruling party instructed the National Electoral Council (CNE) not to close polling stations even if voters do not show up. They are trying to insert non-existent votes."

On the other hand, about 300 observers dispatched from the EU, UN, the Latin American Election Experts Committee (CEELA), and the U.S. Carter Center are scheduled to release their first report on the 23rd. If the observers raise allegations or present evidence of election fraud, international pressure on the Maduro regime is expected to intensify further.