Venezuela strongman Nicolas Maduro reelected as president, election authorities say
Jul 28, 2024, 10:29 PM
A member of the presidential guard votes during presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (Matias Delacroix, AP photo)
(Matias Delacroix, AP photo)
(CNN) — Nicolás Maduro, the authoritarian leader of Venezuela, has been reelected as president, the country’s election authority has announced, amid allegations of electoral irregularities by the opposition.
With 80% of votes counted, the longtime strongman won more than 51% of the vote, besting the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, who gained more than 44%, according to a statement by the National Electoral Council (CNE).
Maduro will hold office for a third consecutive six-year term – representing the continuity of “Chavismo” in power, which started in 1999 at the hands of former president Hugo Chávez.
Maduro has been in power since Chávez’s death in 2013.
