The opposition boycotted the election and said the vote represents a “fraud.” The poll, which was slammed by international observers, was marked by a low voter turnout of just 31%.
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Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro won total control over the National Assembly (AN), and fully consolidated his regime’s grip on power in the country following Sunday’s parliamentary election.
Maduro’s party claimed almost 68% of the vote, in an election which was mostly boycotted by the opposition. The National Assembly was the last institution in the country not yet headed by Maduro. The opposition, parts of which participated in the election despite the opposition’s call for a boycott, received 18% of the vote.
Maduro’s United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and allied parties captured 67 seats in the National Assembly, said Indira Alfonzo, president of Venezuela’s National Electoral Council.
International observers like the EU and the Organization of American States (OAS) refused to send observers to Sunday’s election and said the conditions for a democratic process in Venezuela do not currently exist.
The country’s opposition, led by the current AN president and Maduro foe Juan Guaido, said the vote represents “a fraud.”
“The truth cannot be hidden,” Guaido said in a videotaped message, noting the low voter turnout of just 31%. “The majority of Venezuela turned its back on the fraud that began months ago.”
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo slammed the legislative elections, calling the process a “sham” designed by Maduro.
“What’s happening today is a fraud and a sham, not an election,” Pompeo said on Twitter.
The White House National Security Council also called Sunday’s vote fraudulent. “This election only serves to keep Maduro in power and does nothing to build a better future for the people of Venezuela,” the council tweeted.