Portugal calls for impartial audit of Venezuelan election results

The Portuguese government on Monday called for an impartial audit of the results of Sunday’s presidential elections in Venezuela, in which President Nicolás Maduro claimed victory.

The Foreign Ministry “welcomes popular participation and considers it necessary to impartially verify the results of the elections in Venezuela,” according to a statement published on the X social network.

“Only transparency will guarantee legitimacy; we call for democratic justice and a spirit of dialogue. We always support the Portuguese community,” MNE stressed.

Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) announced that outgoing President Nicolas Maduro was re-elected for a third consecutive term with 51.20% of the vote.

According to official figures announced by CNE President Elvis Amoroso, Maduro received 5.15 million votes, beating opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, who received just under 4.5 million (44.2%).

The results were announced after 80% of the ballots had been counted and 59% of voters had turned out. The result was “irreversible,” he said.

The Venezuelan opposition has claimed victory in Sunday’s presidential election with 70% of the vote, María Corina Machado told the press. Opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia won 70% of the vote, the opposition leader said, refusing to accept the results announced by the CNE.

María Corina Machado said that in the coming days “actions will be announced to defend the truth” and “respect for popular sovereignty” that was “expressed and chosen” by González Urrutia on Sunday.

Several countries have already congratulated Maduro on his victory, such as Nicaragua, Cuba and Iran, but others have expressed great concern about the transparency of the elections in Venezuela, in addition to Portugal, such as Spain and the United States.