Venezuela’s opposition boycotts election, hands more power to Maduro
Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro won control of the country’s National Assembly after winning Sunday’s legislative election amid a boycott by his US-backed opposition rival Juan Guaido.
With over 80% of ballots counted, Maduro’s coalition had 67.6% of the vote, the National Electoral Council said. The victory means that Maduro now has total control of the country’s political institutions.
“We have recovered the National Assembly with the majority vote of the Venezuelan people. It is a great victory without a doubt for democracy”, Maduro said.
The government said turnout was 31%, less than half the 70% who voted in the 2015 election. Opposition observers, however, estimated turnout to be less than 20%.
National Assembly president Juan Guaido and his allies declined to seek reelection, saying they did not trust the authoritarian Maduro to hold a fair vote.
After disputing Maduro‘s 2018 controversial re-election, Guaido proclaimed himself the country’s interim president, and was backed by almost 60 countries, including the EU, the US and UK. The move triggered widespread protests against Maduro’s socialist government.
Under Maduro’s leadership, Venezuela has suffered an economic collapse. More than 4 million citizens have fled the country, many to Colombia. Those who remain face electricity, food and medicinal shortages.
Rights activists have repeatedly condemned the situation and attacks by the Maduro government against demonstrators and journalists.
