The Latest: Maduro is declared winner in Venezuela election as opposition claims irregularities

Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner in Venezuela’s presidential election on Sunday, even as his opponents were preparing to dispute the results, setting up a high-stakes showdown that will determine whether the South American nation transitions away from one-party rule.

Shortly after midnight, the National Electoral Council said Maduro secured 51% of the vote, overcoming the main opposition candidate, Edmundo González, who garnered 44%.

But the electoral authority, which is controlled by Maduro loyalists, didn’t immediately release the tallies from each of the 30,000 polling booths nationwide, hampering the opposition’s ability to challenge the results after claiming it had data for only 30% of the ballot boxes.

Here's the latest:

EU Foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called for the government to respect the will of the voters and to release voting records in a statement published in Spanish and English on the social media platform X.

“The people of Venezuela voted on the future of their country peacefully and in large numbers, he wrote. "Their will must be respected. Ensuring full transparency in the electoral process, including detailed counting of votes and access to voting records at polling stations, is vital.”

The National Electoral Council, which is controlled by Maduro loyalists, has yet to provide the tallies from the nation’s 30,000 polling booths.

—Mike Corder

Venezuela’s opposition claimed victory in Sunday’s presidential election, setting up a showdown with the government, which earlier declared President Nicolás Maduro the winner.

“The Venezuelans and the entire world know what happened,” Edmundo Gonzalez said in his first remarks.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado made the announcement standing alongside Gonzalez, whose margin of victory she said was “overwhelming.”

Machado said the opposition had voting tallies from about 40% of ballot boxes nationwide, with more expected overnight.

The National Electoral Council, which is controlled by Maduro loyalists, has yet to provide the tallies from the nation’s 30,000 polling booths.

—Joshua Goodman

TOKYO — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States has “serious concerns” about the announced result of Venezuela’s hotly contested presidential election that authorities say was won by incumbent Nicolas Maduro.

Speaking in Tokyo on Monday shortly after the announcement was made, Blinken said the U.S. was concerned that the result reflected neither the will nor the votes of the Venezuelan people. He called for election officials to publish the full results transparently and immediately and said the U.S. and the international community would respond accordingly.

—Matthew V. Lee

Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner in Venezuela’s presidential election Sunday, even as his opponents were preparing to dispute the results, setting up a high-stakes showdown that will determine whether the South American nation transitions away from one party rule.

Elvis Amoroso, head of the National Electoral Council, said Maduro secured 51% of the vote, overcoming opposition candidate Edmundo González, who garnered 44%. He said the results were based on 80% of voting stations, marking an irreversible trend.

But the electoral authority, which is controlled by Maduro loyalists, has yet to release the official voting tallies from each of the 15,797 voting centers, hampering the opposition’s ability to verify the results.

The delay in announcing results — six hours after polls were supposed to close — indicated a deep debate inside the government about how to proceed after Maduro’s opponents came out early in the evening all but claiming victory.

Opposition representatives said tallies they collected from campaign representatives at 30% of voting centers showed Gonzalez trouncing Maduro.

—Joshua Goodman

Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font wrote on X that “the delivery of the results of this transcendental election in Venezuela must be transparent, timely and fully reflect the popular will expressed at the polls.”

“The international community, of which Chile is a part of, will not accept anything else,” he added.

Brian A. Nichols, U.S. assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, shared similar sentiments on X.

“Venezuelan voters showed up in huge numbers to express their will at the ballot box,” said Nichols. “It now falls on electoral authorities to ensure transparency & access for all political parties & civil society in the tabulation of votes & prompt publication of results. Credibility of the electoral process depends on it.”

—The Associated Press

More than two hours after being allowed into a voting center to witness the count, 10 residents of the Catia neighborhood exited the polling site to the applause of the roughly 30 people who were still waiting for news of results where they voted hours earlier.

The Caracas site, in a longtime ruling party stronghold, ended up going to González, who took more than twice the votes Maduro got, according to the figures shared by two of the 10 Catia residents who witnessed the tallying process.

Earlier at the site, as people began to read social media posts showing purported voting tallies from other centers favorable to González, some began chanting “And it has fallen, and it has fallen, this government has fallen,” a phrase that for years Venezuelans had chanted with the verbs in future tense instead.

—Regina Garcia Cano

Minister of Defense General Vladimir Padrino López praised his fellow Venezuelans for exercising their civic duty and voting peacefully Sunday.

The armed forces are the traditional arbiter of political disputes in Venezuela, so Padrino’s every word is closely watched. In 2015, when the opposition swept parliamentary elections by a landslide, he recognized the results even before Maduro acknowledged defeat.

On Sunday night, Padrino, flanked by top commanders in uniform, was more subdued. But he also said he was called by Maduro for a meeting to ensure the peaceful voting environment persists once results are announced.

“The Venezuelans are opening a new phase,” said Padrino in ambiguous remarks in which he also condemned U.S. oil sanctions on Venezuela.

The armed forces have been an integral part of Maduro’s grip on power ever since his mentor and predecessor, former paratrooper Hugo Chávez, led an uprising against an unpopular austerity government in 1992.

—Joshua Goodman

Jorge Rodríguez, Maduro’s campaign chief and head of the overwhelmingly pro-government National Assembly, expressed confidence that the elections will be favorable for the ruling party.

“We cannot give results, but I can show face,” said Rodríguez. “Violence failed, hatred failed; love won, independence won, Venezuelan sovereignty won and peace won,” in allusion to the main slogans of the ruling party’s campaign.

Rodríguez refrained from giving figures, affirming that the pro-government party is “respectful of the laws of our country and the constitution.” He added, “we will wait,” for the first preliminary bulletin of the National Electoral Council (CNE).

The vote count will be done entirely with an automatic system. The first preliminary results are expected late Sunday. Authorities have said that such results will only be issued when they are determined to be irreversible.

Venezuelan law prohibits the dissemination of exit polls before the first official bulletin.

Tensions are growing as the CNE has not officially closed polling stations, nor announced an extension of the voting period.

Voting has traditionally been scheduled between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., but the regulations allow for it to be extended at voting sites where there are still voters waiting.

—Jorge Rueda

Opposition candidate Edmundo González, together with opposition leader María Corina Machado, are calling for opposition party observers to stay at the voting centers until they receive the results.

Maduro’s opponents, who have expressed doubts about the impartiality of the electoral authorities, consider a copy of the voting tallies issued by voting machines a key document to demonstrate that the results are a true reflection of each vote cast.

“We reiterate to all citizens that they have the right to participate in a verification,” González said to the press.

Machado said the elections are in a “crucial stage” and calmly asked for the “orderly presence” of the opposition representatives in all the centers.

“Nobody leaves the voting center until we have the proof in our hands of the results,” she said. “We are already receiving the voting tallies and we are counting them one by one.”

Out of respect for the electoral rules, she stressed, “we are not in a condition to give that information” until the electoral authorities release the first official bulletin.

—Jorge Rueda

Venezuela’s opposition leader was beaming with optimism as she urged authorities to order the closure of voting centers that remained open more than an hour after a deadline for vote counting to begin.

“This is the decisive moment,” María Corina Machado, flanked by presidential candidate Edmundo González, said at their campaign headquarters.

Machado was careful not to claim victory before any official announcement but said she had already received copies of some official voting tallies and they indicated a record turnout. González was similarly enthused, congratulating Venezuelans on the “historic” day and urging supporters to “celebrate in peace.”

Both called on campaign representatives to remain at the polling stations to avoid any irregularities once vote tallying begins.

—Joshua Goodman

Venezuela’s opposition is calling on authorities to close the polls and begin counting ballots.

By law, polling centers should close at 6 p.m. but they also must remain open if there are voters still in line.

At 6:11 p.m. opposition leader María Corina Machado took to social media to demand the National Electoral Council shut down the more than 15,000 voting centers nationwide.

“If there’s nobody in line, the voting booths must close,” she said. “It’s time to see how your votes are counted, ballot by ballot.”

Fifteen minutes past the closing time about 40 people were met by an armed soldier, a member of a people’s militia, and other members of the armed forces when they requested access to a voting center in the low-income neighborhood of Catia to witness the vote counting process as allowed by law. They were told they could not enter because people were still voting, yet no voters could be seen inside and the members of the armed forces and electoral authority representatives refused to close the site.

Minutes later, gang members affiliated with the government showed up on motorcycles to intimidate people trying to witness the vote count.

The gang members left minutes later as voters shouted “Leave! Leave!”

—Regina Garcia Cano

Former lawmaker Delsa Solórzano, representative of the opposition’s Unitary Platform coalition, says authorities have blocked her entrance to the National Electoral Council despite her accreditation. They have also blocked two other representatives of the coalition.

“We insist that it is not the same to make a complaint face to face as making it in a WhatsApp message or an email,” said the longtime politician known for her defense of human rights and imprisoned political leaders. “They don’t give a reason for this situation.”

Still, she said her coalition was optimistic. “We have a lot of reasons to smile,” she said. “What we ask is that they simply follow the law.”

—Jorge Rueda

An ally of the ruling party was met with jeers when going to the polls to vote.

In the state of Miranda, which includes a portion of the capital, some voters screamed “Leave! Leave!” when Gov. Hector Rodríguez reached his polling center.

Rodriguez is a member of the delegation that has represented President Nicolás Maduro in negotiations with the U.S.-backed Unitary Platform.

—Regina Garcia Cano

PARIS, France — The head of the UN Refugee Agency Filippo Grandi spoke to The Associated Press today in Paris about his hopes for Venezuela.

“Whichever the outcome of elections and of any political process, regarding negotiations for an agreement and internal agreement, I do wish for the Venezuelan people a return to stability and prosperity that they used to enjoy in the past,” Grandi said.

He also hoped for the restoration of good relations between Venezuelans and all members of the international community, “so that everybody can help Venezuelans have a better future,” he added.

– Megan Janetsky

Venezuelans turned out to vote on Sunday at a school in the Colombian capital, Bogotá, where some 4,300 citizens were registered to vote. In a nearby park attendees waved flags and shouted in unison for “freedom”.

In the northern port city of Barranquilla — where 387 Venezuelans were registered — the sentiment was similar. The president of a Venezuelan association in the city, Pilín León, told the press that voting went “quite smoothly.”

Several Venezuelans went to the embassy in Lima, Peru, to vote with flags in their hands and sang the Venezuelan anthem. 659 citizens were registered to vote there.

However, Venezuelan citizens cannot vote in countries like Ecuador. In April, Nicolás Maduro ordered the Venezuelan embassy to shut down in solidarity with Mexico after the police raid on its embassy.

Instead, dozens of Venezuelans chose to attend a religious ceremony in a church in the country’s capital, Quito. In the southern city of Cuenca, Venezuelans gathered in a park chanting for “freedom” and “democracy” in their home country.

– Gabriela Molina

Minister of Defense, Chief General Vladimir Padrino López, said during the first six hours of voting, “no incident worth mentioning has occurred. The day has passed in peace.

”The military chief asked Venezuelans not to share comments about alleged acts of violence in the surroundings of voting centers, saying that, “what appears on social media is not always true.

”The unitary opposition candidate, Edmundo González says that he trusts that the Venezuelan Armed Forces “will respect the will of the people". The military, in charge of logistics and security of the elections, is one of the main supporters of President Nicolás Maduro.

The president’s opponents have tried to unsuccessfully enlist the support of the military to force Maduro to step down from power, arguing that he was re-elected in 2018 in fraudulent elections.

Senior military commanders, including the Minister of Defense, publicly expressed their support and loyalty to Maduro. For many, the military would have much to lose if there was a political change in Venezuela after 25 years of self-proclaimed socialist governments.

The opposition candidate Edmundo González expressed his satisfaction with the massive presence of Venezuelans lined up since late Saturday night and Sunday morning at voting centers.

“Today more than ever Venezuelans are demonstrating that we are one people. What we see are lines of joy and hope. Today begins a day of reconciliation for all Venezuelans,” said González, surrounded by journalists, shortly after casting his vote.

“The democratic spirit of Venezuelans is more alive than ever, it’s time for change,” added the ex-diplomat. If victorious, Gonzalez promised to create conditions for the almost 8 million Venezuelans to return to their home country after fleeing compounding crises.

“We do not want more Venezuelans leaving the country, and for those who have left I tell them we will do everything possible for them to come back and welcome them with open arms,” he said.“To all the Venezuelans around the world, your strength and commitment encourages us. We are one people in search of freedom,” he added.

– Jorge Rueda

Maria Gabriela Chávez, one of the late president’s daughters, commented as she cast her ballot in a school classroom under the watchful gaze of Chávez’s face painted on the wall.

“Tenemos que ganar" (We have to win), she told AP of the advice her father would likely have given had he been alive today.

Sunday’s vote is being held on what would’ve been the 70th birthday of Chávez, who died in 2013 of cancer.

Chávez said she agreed with the decision, which seeks to stir admiration for her father’s legacy and give Maduro, his handpicked political heir, a possible boost in a tight race.

“Siempre mezclamos la familia con política,” said Chávez, who nonetheless plans to lay a wreath at her father’s tomb in a hilltop army fort later Sunday.

Judy Oropeza says when her sister died in 2019 she vowed never again to vote for the government that long employed her as a school teacher.

It was the nadir of Venezuela’s economic crisis and due to widespread shortages, Oropeza’s sister couldn’t find the medicine she needed to treat hypertension.

Oropeza was in Colombia trying to find work because her miserly wages weren’t enough to feed her and her son. “I came home to bury her practically,” she said, holding back tears.

Today, sitting quietly on a bench in Caracas’ iconic Plaza Bolivar, she acknowledges things have improved.

But she abandoned the profession she loved to escape hunger and still has to watch every penny of her $160 month in salary in the private sector.“ There’s peace now,” she says as a street sweeper collects the fallen leaves from the marble floor. “But there’s wounds that never heal. That’s why I vote for change.”

—Joshua Goodman

Key to Maduro’s chances Sunday is the strength of the ruling party’s ability to mobilize its base.

One strategy, known as 1 x 10, asks each Maduro supporter to recruit 10 of their friends and family members.

Asked Sunday about those efforts to boost turnout, Maduro campaign chief Jorge Rodríguez said “our machine is well-oiled.”

—Joshua Goodman

Authorities set Sunday’s election to coincide with what would have been the 70th birthday of the former president—one last effort by the ruling socialist party to gain an edge in the hard-fought electoral battle.

The former president and revered leftist firebrand died of cancer in 2013, leaving Maduro as his political heir.

In the January 23 poor hillside neighborhood where a mausoleum holds Chávez’s remains, supporters shared a cake celebrating the birthday.

—Joshua Goodman

The President of Venezuela’s National Electoral Council Elvis Amoroso says that 95% of of voting centers across the country are open.

The council set up 30,026 voting machines for the election.

Amoroso said Sunday he and other electoral authorities had a “clear conscience” about the work they were carrying out.

He said 100% of polling place workers were present at voting centers from the time they opened at 6 a.m.

—Jorge Rueda

In the working-class Petare neighborhood on the east side of Caracas, people lined up to vote hours before polls opened.

Judith Cantilla, a 52-year-old domestic worker said, “In the name of God, everything is going to turn out alright. Each person is going take their position and well, (it’s time for) change for Venezuela.”

She said the people were tired and that change for Venezuela is for more jobs, security, medicine in hospitals and better pay for teachers and doctors.

Elsewhere, Liana Ibarra, a manicurist in greater Caracas, got in line at 3 a.m. Sunday and found at least 150 people ahead of her.

The 35-year-old Ibarra said her aunt wrote to her from the U.S. at 2 a.m. to see if she was already in line.

With her backpack next to her loaded with water, coffee and cassava snacks, Ibarra said there used to be a lot of indifference toward elections, "but not anymore.”

Her mom’s 11 siblings have all migrated. She has not followed them, she said, because her 5-year-old son has special needs. But if González does not win, she will ask her relatives to sponsor her and her son’s application to migrate to the U.S. legally.

“We can’t take it anymore,” she said.

—Fabiola Sánchez and Regina García Cano

At least eight party representatives authorized by the National Electoral Council to provide oversight at the country’s largest voting center in the capital Caracas were being denied access more than an hour after polls were supposed to open.

Police officers linked arms around the door as the representatives showed their printed certificates that should give them access.

Marisol Contreras, 58, chief party representative for the Unitary Platform, said she arrived at 4 a.m. and was told she couldn’t go in to the elementary school.

People affiliated with the government stood at the door and indicated to them that all the necessary personnel were already inside.

Marlyn Hernandez, the voting center coordinator, said she didn't know why the authorized representatives were not being allowed in to the school where more than 11,000 people are registered to vote. The center opened 90 minutes late.

Incumbent President Nicolás Maduro says he will recognize the result of the presidential election and urged other candidates to publicly declare the same.

Maduro said after voting Sunday that “no one is going to create chaos in Venezuela.” He said “I recognize and will recognize the electoral referee, the official announcements" and that he would make sure the result is recognized.

He called on the other nine candidates “to respect, to make respected and to declare publicly that they will respect the official announcement” of the winner.

Opposition supporters greeted presidential candidate Daniel Ceballos with shouts of “Get out! Get out! Get out! Traitor!” as he arrived to vote at a school in downtown Caracas.

Ceballos was a leader of anti-Maduro protests in 2014 calling for the president’s resignation less than a year after his election. He was imprisoned for his actions.

Ceballos lost some of his edge after he emerged from jail years later. Most recently, he surprised friend and foe alike by registering to run against Maduro with a rhetoric critical of the main opposition coalition which considers him a sell-out and a patsy for Maduro’s efforts to stay in power.

—Joshua Goodman

Clarisa Machado voted for Maduro in the working-class Caracas neighborhood of Petare.

The 74-year-old sociologist felt confident that the experience the government gained over years of crisis would make it better able to deal with difficult situations still to come, as well as improve Venezuelans' standard of living.

“We Venezuelans, when they knock us down, we get back up and that serves as experience to not fall down again,” she said.

—Jorge Rueda

President Nicolas Maduro shows a mini edition of Venezuela's constitution as he addresses supporters gathered outside the Miraflores presidential palace after electoral authorities declared him the winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado talks to presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez during a press conference after electoral authorities declared President Nicolas Maduro the winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Drones depict the image of President Nicolas Maduro over Miraflores presidential palace after electoral authorities declared him the winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

President Nicolas Maduro addresses supporters outside Miraflores presidential palace after electoral authorities declared him the winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Opposition supporters listen to organizer Deillily Rodriguez as they gather to witness election officials tally the votes after polls closed for the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

President of Venezuela's National Assembly Jorge Rodriguez gestures during a press conference after polls closed for the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Police guard a voting center during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Electoral officials tally votes after polls closed for presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Supporters of opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez gather outside the Andres Bello School voting center asking to know results after polls closed for presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

An electoral official posts polling station information as the opening of the polls for the presidential elections is delayed at the Andres Bello School, the main polling center in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Voters wait to access the Andres Bello School, the main polling center in Caracas, Venezuela, during presidential election on Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Silviana Lazaro cries while a Venezuelan song plays at a rally at Jose Marti Gym held in support of a fair election on Venezuela's Election Day on Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Miami. (Alie Skowronski/Miami Herald via AP)

Voters wait to cast their ballots during presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

A voter talks to police guarding a polling station during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

People vote during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A Venezuelan holds a sign that reads in Spanish: "Barinas present. Edmundo President," during a gathering of Venezuelans in support of opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez on the day of the presidential election in Venezuela, on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Voters line up to vote outside the Andres Bello School voting center during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

The opposition's presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez waves as he leaves the polling station with his wife Mercedes Lopez, center, and daughter Mariana after voting in presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

People look for their assigned voting tables during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Voters line up outside a polling station during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado greets a supporter as she arrives to vote during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

People bring signs that spell out "Venezuela Libre" during a rally at Jose Marti Gym held in support of a fair election on Venezuela's Election Day on Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Miami. (Alie Skowronski/Miami Herald via AP)

Voters line up at a voting station prior to the opening of the polls for presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristias Hernandez)

Voters line up at a polling center during presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A government supporter, front, argues with opposition poll watchers who were denied access to the Andres Bello School polling center during the presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Voters line up at a voting station prior to the opening of the polls for presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristias Hernandez)

A voter waiting in line shouts as access for opposition poll watchers is delayed at the Andres Bello School, prior to the opening of the polls for the presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Voters line up at a polling station before the polls open for the presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

People wait for their turn to vote in the presidential elections at Fort Tiuna in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Military personnel wait for their turn to vote in the presidential elections at Fort Tiuna in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

President Nicolas Maduro displays a mini edition of Venezuela's constitution after voting in the presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. Maduro is seeking re-election for a third term. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

A member of the presidential guard votes during presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Voters line up at a polling center during presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

President Nicolas Maduro displays a mini edition of Venezuela's constitution after voting in the presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. Maduro is seeking re-election for a third term. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Military personnel wait for their turn to vote in the presidential elections at Fort Tiuna in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Opposition lawmaker Inacio Dacosta argues with security personnel blocking his and independent electoral observers' entrance to the Andres Bello School during the presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Opposition poll watchers display documents identifying themselves as such at the entrance to the Andres Bello School, the main polling station in Caracas, Venezuela, during the presidential elections on Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Police guard de Andres Bello School polling center during presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

A National Guard officer addresses voters lining up at the Andres Bello School as opposition poll watchers argue they are not being allowed to enter the voting center during the presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

President Nicolas Maduro gestures after casting his ballot during presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. Maduro is seeking re-election for a third term. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Alejandra Rivas votes during presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

President Nicolas Maduro adjusts his glasses to mark his ballot for the presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. Maduro is seeking re-election for a third term. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Former Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González has fled into exile after being granted asylum in Spain, delivering a major blow to millions who placed their hopes in his upstart campaign to end two decades of single-party rule.

The surprise departure of the man considered by Venezuela’s opposition and several foreign governments to be the legitimate winner of July’s presidential race was announced late Saturday night by Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez. He is expected to arrive in Spain on Sunday.

She said the government decided to grant González safe passage out of the country, just days after ordering his arrest, to help restore “the country’s political peace and tranquility.”

Neither González nor opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has commented. But Spain’s center-left government said the decision to leave Venezuela was González's alone and he departed on a plane sent by the country's air force. González had stayed at the Spanish embassy in Caracas before leaving.

Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told Spanish national broadcaster RTVE that his government will grant González political asylum as he has requested. Albares spoke from Oman while en route to China with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on a state visit.

“I have been able to speak to (González) and once he was aboard the airplane he expressed his gratitude toward the Spanish government and Spain,” Albares said. “Of course, I told him we were pleased that he is well and on his way to Spain, and I reiterated the commitment of our government to the political rights of all Venezuelans.”

Sánchez said in a speech before González's departure was announced that the opposition leader was “a hero whom Spain is not going to abandon.”

The European Union’s foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, in a statement Sunday described it as "a sad day for democracy in Venezuela,” and also disclosed that the Dutch had been involved in helping González.

“Faced with repression, political persecution and direct threats to his safety and freedom, after being given hospitality at the residence of the Netherlands in Caracas until Sept. 5, political leader and presidential candidate Edmundo González has had to request political asylum and accept the protection offered by Spain,” he said.

Borrell added that González “appears to be the winner of the presidential elections” and that the EU will maintain its support of the Venezuelan people “in their democratic aspirations.”

In a letter sent Sunday to lawmakers, Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Caspar Veldkamp said that the Netherlands had given González refuge shortly after the election at its embassy. He added that González said at the beginning of September that he wanted to leave the country “and continue his fight from Spain.”

González, a 75-year-old former diplomat, was a last-minute stand-in when Machado was banned from running. Previously unknown to most Venezuelans, his campaign nonetheless rapidly ignited the hopes of millions of Venezuelans desperate for change after a decade-long economic freefall.

While President Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner of the July vote, most Western governments, including Spain, have yet to recognize his victory and are instead demanding that authorities publish a breakdown of votes. Meanwhile, tally sheets collected by opposition volunteers from over two-thirds of the electronic voting machines indicate that González won by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

The tally sheets have long been considered the ultimate proof of election results in Venezuela. In previous presidential elections, the National Electoral Council published online the results of each of the more than 30,000 voting machines but the Maduro-controlled panel did not release any data this time, blaming an alleged cyberattack mounted by its opponents from North Macedonia.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab, a staunch Maduro ally, sought González's arrest after he failed to appear three times in connection with a criminal investigation into what it considers an act of electoral sabotage.

Saab told reporters that the voting records the opposition shared online were forged and an attempt to undermine the National Electoral Council.

Experts from the United Nations and the Carter Center, which at the invitation of Maduro’s government observed the election, determined the results announced by electoral authorities lacked credibility. In a statement critical of the election, the U.N. experts stopped short of validating the opposition’s claim to victory, but they said the voting records it published online appear to exhibit all of the original security features.

Exiled opposition politician Franco Casella told RTVE that González would continue to campaign against the regime from abroad in what he called a dual leadership role with Machado, who Casella said remains in hiding in Venezuela.

He said he understood that some people who opposed Maduro might feel “orphaned” by González's departure but, he said, "this is going to be capitalized positively .... and my message is that this is not the time for tears, it is time for us to remain united against the dictatorship.”

Spain has been a major point of exodus for Venezuelans, particularly those leading opposition to Maduro’s regime. They include Leopoldo López, who fled to Spain to reunite with his family in 2020, and Antonio Ledezma, who left in 2017.

Some 44,000 Venezuelans immigrated to Spain in the first six months of this year. The last government statistics from 2022 said that some 212,000 Venezuelans were then residing in Spain.

——

Goodman reported from Miami and Wilson from Barcelona, Spain. Mike Corder contributed from The Hague.

FILE - Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez waves to supporters during a political event at a square in the Hatillo municipality of Caracas, Venezuela, June 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)