By Merve Berker
Italy’s foreign minister on Monday expressed doubts over election results in Venezuela and questioned if the results “really reflect the will of the people.”
“I have several doubts regarding the regular course of the elections in #Venezuela,” Antonio Tajani said on X.
“We call for a check of the results and access to the records: does the result proclaiming Maduro's victory really reflect the will of the people?” he added.
Nicolas Maduro, 61, has been declared the winner of Venezuela’s presidential election, securing 51% of the vote against 44% received by opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez, according to the National Electoral Council (CNE).
The announcement was made early on Monday by Elvis Amoroso, head of the electoral authority, who said the results are based on 80% of voting stations.
In his victory speech, Maduro said that his reelection would bring peace and reiterated that fascism "will not happen" in the country.
"The voice of peace triumphed, and in Venezuela there will be peace, peace and peace for our country," he said.
The opposition has rejected the result, claiming that the results announced by the CNE do not correspond to the votes cast.