basquebromance
Diamond Member
- Nov 26, 2015
- 109,396
- 27,053
- 2,220
- Banned
- #1
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It's pretty fucked up what's going on in this south American country...But still, it has nothing to do with our liberal media.
Sounds like the Democrat primary
The main opposition candidate, Henri Falcón, rejected the result soon after the polls closed. "We do not recognise this electoral process as valid... we have to have new elections in Venezuela," he said With more than 90% of the votes counted, Mr Maduro had 67.7% - 5.8 million votes - National Electoral Council chief Tibisay Lucena announced. Mr Falcón won 21.2% - 1.8 million votes - she said. Mr Falcón earlier alleged that the vote had been rigged in Mr Maduro's favour, by abuse of the scanning of state-issued benefits card, used for accessing food. Government officials said the polls were "free and fair" but most of the opposition had joined a boycott.
Nicolás Maduro celebrates his victory alongside his wife Cilia Flores
The administration of the US President Donald Trump has said it will not recognise the result. Posting on Twitter ahead of the vote, the US mission to the United Nations called the process an "insult to democracy". There are a handful of minor candidates but only Mr Falcón, a governor under late President Hugo Chávez, was seen as a viable alternative to President Maduro. He came from the same socialist party as President Maduro, but left in 2010 to join the opposition. Mr Falcón, who ran despite the boycott, has said he believes the majority of Venezuelans want to remove Mr Maduro from office. The rest of the opposition, however, has frowned on his breaking ranks - with some even branding him a traitor.
But was the election legitimate or not?
Part of the reason for the opposition boycott was the outcome of elections for state governorships last year. Mr Maduro's party won 17 of 23 states - and his opponents cried foul. That was after the company that makes Venezuela's voting machines said, in July last year, that the figures had been tampered with during the controversial election of the constituent assembly.
Mr Falcón is the only real contender - but broke ranks with the rest of the opposition
It does not help that the electoral commission is mostly made up of government supporters - like the powerful constituent assembly and the supreme court. Mr Maduro's camp has claimed that the election was a fair process. International observers including the EU and US suggested they might impose sanctions on Venezuela if democracy was undermined, while some of Venezuela's Latin American neighbours said they might not officially recognise the outcome.
What about ordinary Venezuelan people?