Dispute over Venezuela vote could spark more unrest, sanctions

Dispute over Venezuela vote could spark more unrest, sanctions

Maduro’s candidates took 17 governorships, versus five for the opposition, in Sunday’s nationwide poll, according to the pro-government electoral board.

The socialists’ strong showing came despite devastating food shortages, triple-digit inflation, and a collapsing currency. Polls had suggested the opposition would easily win a majority.

Dismayed leaders of the Democratic Unity coalition decried irregularities, called for street action, and demanded an audit, but they did not offer detailed evidence of fraud.

“Neither Venezuelans nor the world will swallow this fiction,” said opposition campaign chief Gerardo Blyde.

One losing candidate, Carlos Ocariz who ran for Miranda state, alleged a litany of abuses ranging from multiple voting, state food handouts on the day of the poll, forced attendance at gunpoint, and suspicious phone and power outages.

Opposition leaders also said the election board skewed the poll by moving several hundred vote centers out of their strongholds, and confused people by keeping the names of opposition candidates eliminated in primaries on the ballot.