Venezuelan Authority Proclaims Maduro as President in Disputed Election

U.S. and Latin American leaders are questioning the legitimacy of the election results.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro speaks during his proclamation at the CNE headquarters in Caracas, Venezuela, on July 29, 2024. Fedrico Parra/AFP via Getty Images

Venezuela’s electoral body has declared President Nicolás Maduro the winner of its national election, handing the socialist strongman another six-year term as the leader of a distraught country struggling to feed itself.

Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, which is loyal to Mr. Maduro’s ruling party, announced on July 29 that Mr. Maduro had secured more than 51 percent of the vote with 80 percent of all votes tallied. The opposition candidate, Edmundo González, lost with 44.2 percent.