The world reacts to Maduro's re-election as President of Venezuela

President Nicolas Maduro, who has led Venezuela since Hugo Chavez died in 2013, was re-elected for a third six-year term starting on January 10, 2025. He won re-election with 51.2% of the vote after 80% of the ballots were counted. His opponent Edmundo Gonzalez won 44.02% of the vote. Voter turnout was 59%.

Domestically, claims of “election fraud” are widespread. Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said Mr Gonzalez would have won by a landslide if the ballots cast in the July 28 presidential election had been properly counted.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a congratulatory message to Mr. Maduro and the Russian Foreign Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to promoting relations with the Latin American country.

International reaction to the election was polarized. The leaders of China, Syria and Iran all congratulated Mr Maduro on his victory. However, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed “grave concerns” about the election results, calling for a fair and transparent vote count.

Latin America was divided over the outcome: while Bolivia, Cuba and Honduras voiced support for Mr Maduro, and Brazil welcomed the peaceful vote, Argentina, Peru, Guatemala, Chile and Costa Rica chose not to recognize the official results. Colombian Foreign Minister Luiz Gilberto Murillo called for an independent audit of the vote “as soon as possible”.

Political analyst Jesus Seguias, president of Dating CORBA, a well-known Venezuelan polling company with nearly 40 years of experience, said the chances of the opposition winning a recount were slim. "The government has made a political decision. The government has the right to maintain its decision, while the opposition has no means to challenge that decision," said Seguias.

For his part, Alexander Arabyadzhan at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO RAS) of the Russian Academy of Sciences also agrees with this view. Mr. Arabyadzhan predicts that the US will likely tighten sanctions on Venezuela in the coming months.

Meanwhile, Viktor Heifets, editor-in-chief of Latinskaya Amerika magazine, noted that Washington, which is betting on an opposition victory, will eventually refuse to recognize the election results, but will not lift or ease sanctions. "As for sanctions, much will depend on the results of the presidential election in the United States," Heifets said, stressing that it would be difficult to imagine former US President Donald Trump easing sanctions if he were elected.