Venezuela’s ruling socialist party secured a substantial majority in the National Assembly during yesterday’s election, capturing nearly 83% of the votes according to the electoral authority. This election was boycotted by some opposition leaders amidst deep divisions among parties opposing President Nicolas Maduro’s administration.
Notable opposition leaders called for voter abstention in protest of the official results from the July 2024 presidential election, which the opposition claims to have won, while authorities assert that Mr. Maduro’s party emerged victorious.
The legislative outcome will allow the ruling party to maintain control over the attorney general’s office and the supreme court, whose members are selected by politicians.
Authorities did not provide a total number of seats assigned to each party but named 40 politicians from various parties who have secured seats.
Turnout for the election of 24 state governors and 285 lawmakers was reported at 42.6% of the 21 million eligible voters, according to Mr. Quintero, aligning closely with the turnout in the 2021 elections.
Opposition candidates managed to win only one governorship, in Cojedes state, located west of Caracas, a decline from the four attained by opposition parties in 2021.
Opposition leaders Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez urged their supporters to abstain from yesterday’s vote in protest against the official narrative of the 2024 election results and what they, along with rights groups, term a severe crackdown on the opposition, including recent detentions.
Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez called on supporters to abstain from the vote.
Ms. Machado, Mr. Gonzalez, and their Vente Venezuela coalition shared images throughout the day depicting what they claimed were empty polling stations across the nation, despite the government extending voting hours and asserting high turnout.
Conversely, another opposition faction led by two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles and Zulia state governor Manuel Rosales, encouraged people to vote to prevent the opposition from being excluded from governance.
Mr. Capriles successfully secured a seat in the national assembly, while Rosales lost his governorship.
No voting took place in a disputed region, according to reports from Guyanese media.
Both the opposition and the international community, including the United States, have raised questions about the 2024 presidential election results.
Authorities have yet to disclose detailed tallies from that vote, attributing the delay to a cyber attack, while the opposition has released ballot box-level counts that suggest a victory for their former candidate Edmundo Gonzalez.
Mr. Gonzalez fled to Spain in September, and Ms. Machado remains in hiding in Venezuela.
A governor was appointed to represent the newly established state of Guayana Esequiba, despite an order from the International Court of Justice prohibiting voting in the region, which is embroiled in a territorial dispute with neighboring Guyana.
On Friday, Guyana’s parliament passed a resolution vehemently condemning the Venezuelan government’s “defiance” of the ICJ order, labeling it a threat to regional peace and stability.
The Venezuelan government has stated that it does not recognize the court’s authority in this matter.
Local Guyanese media reported from various locations within the disputed region that no voting occurred there yesterday.
The US has intensified sanctions against Venezuela following the 2024 elections, instructing oil giant Chevron to cease its operations by May 27.
Mr. Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, has consistently dismissed these sanctions as illegitimate, describing them as an “economic war.”
