CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan government critic María Corina Machado was declared the winner Thursday of a primary organized by the opposition to choose a presidential candidate. Last weekend’s poll was described as illegitimate by the self-proclaimed socialist government.
Organized by the National Preelection Commission, the election Sunday attracted more than 2.4 million voters in Venezuela and abroad and aimed to select a candidate to face President Nicolás Maduro next year.
But despite some assurances from Maduro’s government that the opposition would be allowed to choose a candidate, it has cast strong doubts about the outcome of the weekend’s primaries. The public prosecutor’s office has launched a criminal investigation against the main organizers for fraud and abuse of office. In addition, the government has officially barred Machado from running.
Still, the opposition pre-election commission declared Machado, a former lawmaker, the winner on Thursday at an event in front of opposition leaders and several other candidates, wiping her out at the ballot box on Sunday.
The results released by the commission showed a turnout of more than 2.4 million voters, about 93% of whom supported Machado.
Voters defied expectations, even in neighborhoods once considered strongholds of the ruling party. As they stood in line for hours in the scorching sun or a downpour, many spoke about their hopes for a change in government that can pull the country out of a complex crisis that has left millions of people in poverty and more than 7.7 million others in poverty drove migration.
Maduro’s government agreed in principle last week to let the opposition choose its candidate for the 2024 presidential election. But the government has a history of bending the law, retaliating against opponents and breaking agreements at its own discretion.
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez has argued that the turnout claimed by the opposition commission is mathematically impossible given the number of voting centers available and the time it takes for a person to cast their vote.
Meanwhile, the country’s chief prosecutor said the investigation into the main organizers will also examine allegations that include identity theft and money laundering.