Tension in Venezuela: Opposition rejects electoral authority’s claim that Maduro won the election

Venezuela's electoral authority declared Nicolás Maduro the winner, but opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia have rejected the results, claiming González Urrutia won. Hardline Chavistas like Diosdado Cabello dismissed younger Chavistas who suggested they would accept defeat.

The government cited a hacking attempt to explain the delay. Maduro's political operator and right-hand man implied a Maduro victory before the vote count.

The electoral authority president, a Maduro ally, declared the result 'irreversible'. Hugo Chávez, creator of the Bolivarian revolution, encouraged Chavistas to wear tracksuits like Fidel Castro.

Opposition leader María Corina Machado claims her candidate, Edmundo González, won the election. Maduro's authoritarian regime, following the death of predecessor Hugo Chávez, has led Venezuela into crisis.

Protesters, including Petare residents Katiuska Camargo and Rafael Cantillo, reject Maduro's 'irreversible' victory claim, drawing comparisons to the toppling of Saddam Hussein's statue. Clashes continue, with reports of protesters storming Maiquetía airport and Maduro's allies planning Tuesday afternoon protests to show support.