CARACAS—Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his opposition rival Edmundo Gonzalez were each claiming victory in a presidential election on Monday morning, after a vote marked by accusations of underhand tactics and isolated incidents of violence.
The country’s electoral authority said just after midnight on Monday that Mr. Maduro had won a third term with 51 percent of the vote, despite multiple exit polls which pointed to an opposition win.
The authority said opposition candidate Mr. Gonzalez won 44 percent of the vote, though the opposition had earlier said it had “reasons to celebrate” and asked supporters to continue monitoring vote counts.
Mr. Maduro, appearing at the presidential palace before cheering supporters, said his reelection is a triumph of peace and stability and reiterated his campaign trail assertion that Venezuela’s electoral system is transparent.
He will sign a decree on Monday to hold a “great national dialogue,” Mr. Maduro added.
Fireworks sounded over Caracas, as lighted drones formed a brightly-colored image of Mr. Maduro in the sky above the presidential palace.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said Mr. Gonzalez had won 70 percent of the vote and that multiple independent exit polls and quick counts decisively showed his victory.
“Venezuela has a new president-elect and it is Edmundo Gonzalez. We won and the whole world knows it,” she said in a joint statement with Mr. Gonzalez.
Gonzalez said he was not calling for supporters to take to the streets or commit any acts of violence.
A poll from Edison Research, known for its polling of U.S. elections, had predicted in an exit poll that Gonzalez would win 65 percent of the vote, while Mr. Maduro would win 31 percent.
Local firm Meganalisis predicted a 65 percent vote for Mr. Gonzalez and just under 14 percent for Mr. Maduro.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States had “serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people.”
Mr. Blinken called for electoral authorities to publish a detailed tabulation of votes.
About 80 percent of ballot boxes have been counted, said national electoral council (CNE) president Elvis Amoroso in a televised statement, adding results had been delayed because of an “aggression” against the electoral data transmission system.
The CNE has asked the attorney general to investigate the “terrorist actions” Mr. Amoroso said, adding participation was 59 percent.
The CNE is meant to be an independent body, but the opposition alleges its acts as an arm of the government.
The top opposition official meant to witness the overall national count was not allowed to and there were several polling stations where opposition observers were not allowed to observe, the opposition said on Sunday night.
Earlier Ms. Machado reiterated a call for the country’s military to uphold the results of the vote. The opposition says it has copies of about 40 percent of voting records.
“A message for the military. The people of Venezuela have spoken: they don’t want Maduro,” she said earlier on X. “It is time to put yourselves on the right side of history. You have a chance and it’s now.”
Venezuela’s military has always supported Mr. Maduro, a 61-year-old former bus driver and foreign minister, and there have been no public signs that leaders of the armed forces are breaking from the government.
