Reelected Maduro faces foreign backlash
CARACAS: Venezuela’s socialist leader Nicolas Maduro faced fresh international censure yesterday after reelection in a vote that foes denounced as a farce cementing autocracy.
The 55yearold successor to former president Hugo Chavez hailed his win as a victory against ‘‘imperialism’’, but his main rival refused to recognise the result, alleging irregularities.
Thousands of Maduro supporters hugged and danced outside the Miraflores presidential palace as the results came in.
‘‘The revolution is here to stay!’’ a jubilant Maduro told the crowd, promising to prioritise economic recovery after five years of recession.
‘‘Let’s go, Nico!’’ his supporters chanted.
‘‘We mustn’t cave to any empire, or go running to the International Monetary Fund as Argentina did. The opposition must leave us alone to govern,’’ said government supporter Ingrid Sequera (51).
The European Union and major Latin Americans had repeatedly warned that electoral conditions were unfair.
The United States would not recognise the result, US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan said. The United States is actively considering oil sanc tions on Venezuela and Sullivan said a response to the vote would be discussed at a G20 meeting in Buenos Aires today.
Chile’s President Sebastian Pinera was scathing.
‘‘Venezuela’s elections do not meet minimum standards of true democracy,’’ he said. ‘‘Like most major democratic nations, Chile does not recognise these elections.’’
Panama’s government followed suit, but fellow leftistrun nations Cuba and El Salvador sent congratulations.
Venezuela’s mainstream opposition boycotted the vote, given that two of its most popular leaders were barred, authorities had banned various parties from using their names, and the election board is run by Maduro loyalists. The board said Maduro took 5.8 million votes, versus 1.8 million for his chief challenger, Henri Falcon, who broke with the boycott to stand.
Turnout was 46%, way down from the 80% at the last presidential vote in 2013.
Falcon called for a new vote, complaining about the government’s placing of nearly 13,000 progovernment stands close to polling stations nationwide. Mainly poor Venezuelans were asked to scan stateissued ‘‘fatherland cards’’ at the stands after voting, in hope of receiving a ‘‘prize’’ promised by Maduro.
The ‘‘fatherland cards’’ are required to receive benefits.
Maduro now faces a colossal task to turn around Venezuela’s moribund economy.