Venezuela elections: President Maduro wins second term

By Lokman Ilhan

BOGOTA (AA) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro won a second term in office on Sunday, election officials announced, amid claims of vote-rigging.

Maduro, 55, won some 5.8 million votes, or 68 percent of the total, said Tibisay Lucena, head of the National Electoral Council.

Lucena said main opposition candidate Henri Falcon won 1.8 million votes or 21.2 percent.

Turnout was 46.01 percent, with over 8 million Venezuelans casting ballots.

On social media, Falcon rejected the result, calling it “illegitimate.”

Maduro first took office in 2013 after his predecessor Hugo Chavez died, and is set to govern Venezuela for another six-year term, from January 2019 to 2025.