Allegations of voter suppression, intimidation, and irregularities were reported during the election.
Former lawmaker Maria Corina Machado was blocked from running for office and was replaced on the ballot by Edmundo Gonzalez.
Nicolás Maduro won the Venezuelan presidential election on July 29, 2024, with approximately 51.2% of the votes.
Opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez received around 44.2% of the votes.
Opposition leaders disputed these results and claimed they had access to only 40% of the tabulated votes, with Gonzalez winning a significant majority.
Venezuela's presidential election on July 29, 2024, resulted in a controversial win for incumbent Nicolás Maduro despite opposition claims of irregularities and manipulation. According to various sources, including the National Electoral Council (CNE), Maduro secured approximately 51.2% of the votes while his opponent Edmundo Gonzalez received around 44.2%. However, opposition leaders such as Maria Corina Machado disputed these results and claimed that their coalition had access to only 40% of the tabulated votes, with Gonzalez winning a significant majority of those.
The election was held amidst allegations of voter suppression, intimidation, and irregularities. For instance, former lawmaker Maria Corina Machado was blocked from running for office by the Maduro-controlled supreme court, leading to college professor Edmundo Gonzalez being chosen as her substitute on the ballot.
The United States and several Latin American neighbors expressed concerns about the official result and called for transparency in the electoral process. US Vice President Kamala Harris stated that there were “serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or votes of the Venezuelan people.”
The outcome of this election is significant as it would grant Maduro a third consecutive six-year term, representing the continuity of Chavismo in power which began in 1999 with former president Hugo Chávez.
The opposition managed to unite behind a single candidate after years of intraparty divisions and election boycotts that hindered their previous attempts to topple the ruling party.
Accuracy
The opposition claimed their tallies showed a landslide victory for their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez.
Maduro received approximately 51.2% of the votes while opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez received around 44.2% according to the election authority.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado claims her coalition has access to 40% of the tabulated votes and has Gonzalez winning 70% of those votes.
Deception
(30%)
The article contains selective reporting as it only reports details that support the opposition's claim of victory and does not provide any context or information about the voting process or results from Maduro's camp. The author also uses emotional manipulation by describing the opposition's excitement and joy at their supposed victory, which could influence readers to believe that they are justified in their claims.
Foreign leaders held off recognizing the results. ‘The Maduro regime should understand that the results it published are difficult to believe,’ said Gabriel Boric, the leftist leader of Chile. ‘We won’t recognize any result that is not verifiable.’
The opposition claimed victory in Sunday's presidential election, setting up a showdown with the government, which earlier declared President Nicolás Maduro the winner.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said the margin of Gonzalez’s victory was ‘Overwhelming’ based on voting tallies it had received from campaign representatives from about 40% of ballot boxes nationwide.
Fallacies
(80%)
The article contains several instances of appeals to authority and inflammatory rhetoric. However, no formal or dichotomous fallacies were identified. The author reports on statements made by various individuals without endorsing or refuting their claims, making it important to note that the score is based solely on the author's assertions and not those of the individuals quoted in the article.
][Gabriel Boric, Chilean leftist leader] We won't recognize any result that is not verifiable.[/
][U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken] The U.S. has serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people.[
Bias
(80%)
The article reports on the Venezuelan presidential election with both Maduro and the opposition claiming victory. The author does not express any bias towards either side but does mention some foreign leaders holding off recognizing the results due to concerns about their veracity. However, there is a disproportionate number of quotes from opposition leaders and supporters celebrating their supposed victory, which could potentially skew the reader's perception. The author also mentions that Maduro accused unidentified foreign enemies of trying to hack the voting system without providing any evidence.
Dozens standing nearby erupted in an impromptu rendition of the national anthem.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said the margin of González’s victory was “Overwhelming” based on voting tallies it had received from campaign representatives from about 40% of ballot boxes nationwide.
Venezuelans abandoned their country’s currency, the bolivar, for the U.S. dollar.
Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner of Venezuela’s presidential election on Monday, July 28, 2024.
Maduro received approximately 51.2% of the votes while opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez received around 44.2% according to the election authority.
Accuracy
The opposition and several regional officials disputed the results due to reported irregularities and low turnout information.
María Corina Machado, a popular opposition leader, called the declared result ‘impossible’ based on her team’s data.
The United States expressed serious concerns that the announced result did not reflect the will of the Venezuelan people.
Deception
(50%)
The article reports on the disputed results of Venezuela's presidential election, stating that Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner despite irregularities and protests from the opposition. The authors provide quotes from opposition leaders and U.S. officials expressing concerns about the validity of the results. However, they do not disclose any sources for these quotes or provide evidence to support their claims beyond these statements, making it selective reporting.
We won and the whole world knows it,
Fallacies
(85%)
The authors make an appeal to authority by quoting Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken's statement about the US government having 'serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people.' This is not a logical fallacy in itself, but it can lower the score if there are no other fallacies found.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken: 'We have serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people.'
Bias
(80%)
The authors use language that depicts Maduro's government as inventing election results and the opposition's result as reflecting the will of the people. This is an example of bias in reporting.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, speaking to reporters in Tokyo, said the U.S. government had 'serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people.'
If Maduro takes office, it will be for a third consecutive six-year term, representing the continuity of Chavismo in power which began in 1999 with former president Hugo Chavez.
Accuracy
With 80% of votes counted, Maduro won more than 51% of the votes, while Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia gained over 44%.
The opposition claimed their candidate received 70% of the votes against Maduro’s 30% according to their records.
Deception
(30%)
The article reports on conflicting claims of election victory by both Nicolas Maduro and the opposition. While it is not clear from the text whether the authors are reporting on the authors' own assertions or those being quoted, there are instances of selective reporting and emotional manipulation that suggest deception. The National Electoral Council reported that Maduro had received over 51% of the votes, while opposition leader María Corina Machado claimed their records showed Gonzalez Urrutia had received 70%. However, the article only reports on Machado's claim without providing any evidence or context to support it. Additionally, emotional manipulation is evident in phrases such as 'defend the truth' and 'the entire international community knows what happened in Venezuela and how people voted for change.' These statements are intended to elicit an emotional response from readers without providing any factual basis.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado said in a news conference that their own records showed their candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia had received 70% of the votes against Maduro's 30%.
The entire international community knows what happened in Venezuela and how people voted for change.
Fallacies
(75%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(80%)
The authors use language that depicts the opposition as having 'painted a very different picture of the results' and 'alleged rules had been violated during the election'. They also mention that there have been allegations of foul play throughout the election process and opposition leaders claimed there were election irregularities. The authors do not provide any evidence to support these claims made by the opposition, but instead present them as facts.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado said in a news conference that their own records showed their candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia had received 70% of the votes against Maduro's 30%.[
Opposition leaders claimed there were election irregularities including opposition witnesses being denied access to the CNE headquarters as the authority counted votes, and the CNE allegedly halting data being sent from local polling stations to their central location to prevent more votes from being processed.
The government has also been accused of rigging votes in the past, which it denied. [
The opposition had promised to restore Venezuela's democracy and rebuild the economy if they won. [
]The opposition painted a very different picture of the results.[
Opposition leader María Corina Machado claims her coalition has access to 40% of the tabulated votes and has Gonzalez winning 70% of those votes.
Accuracy
Nicolás Maduro won the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election with 51.2% of the votes.
The opposition and several regional officials disputed the results due to reported irregularities and low turnout information.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado called the declared result ‘impossible’ based on her team’s data.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(75%)
The authors use inflammatory rhetoric by stating that the political opposition 'vehemently rejected' the electoral authority's ruling and 'called on the military to intervene'. They also state that some Latin American neighbors raised concerns about the official result without providing any evidence or context.
][Patricia Laya, Andreina Itriago Acosta] The political opposition vehemently rejected the electoral authority’s ruling that Nicolás Maduro was reelected as the nation’s president, calling on the military to intervene. Some Latin American neighbors also raised concerns about the official result.[/
Bias
(80%)
The authors use language that depicts the opposition as vehemently rejecting the election result and calling on the military to intervene. They also quote an opposition leader stating that her coalition had gained access to only 40% of the tabulated votes and had Gonzalez winning 70% of the votes so far.
But opposition leader María Corina Machado said that her coalition had gained access so far to 40% of the tabulated votes and had Gonzalez winning 70% of the votes so far.
Venezuela’s political opposition vehemently rejected the electoral authority’s ruling that Nicolás Maduro was reelected as the nation’s president, calling on the military to intervene.
Former lawmaker Maria Corina Machado was blocked by the Maduro-controlled supreme court from running for any office for 15 years, leading to college professor Edmundo Gonzalez being chosen as her substitute on the ballot.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article reports on the Venezuelan presidential election and the claims of irregularities by the opposition. While there is no clear deception from the author, there are instances of selective reporting and emotional manipulation. The author focuses on Maduro's victory declaration and his opponents' reactions, implying a bias towards conflict and uncertainty. Additionally, they report on Gonzalez's apparent lead based on opposition tallies without mentioning that these results have not been officially confirmed or verified by the electoral authority. This selective reporting could mislead readers into believing that Gonzalez has already won the election, which is not yet certain.
Opposition representatives were already celebrating, online and outside a few voting centers, what they assured was a landslide victory for Gonzalez.
Dozens standing nearby erupted in an impromptu rendition of the national anthem.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several informal fallacies and a dichotomous depiction. The author uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing the situation in Venezuela as a 'deep debate inside the government' and 'high-stakes showdown'. The opposition is described as having 'collected tallies from campaign representatives at the polling stations showing Gonzalez trouncing Maduro'. This statement implies that the opposition's tallies are definitive proof of election fraud, but it does not provide any evidence to support this claim. Additionally, the article sets up a false dichotomy between 'one-party rule' and 'transition away from one-party rule', implying that these are the only two possible outcomes of the election. This oversimplifies a complex political situation.
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.
, The opposition representatives said tallies they collected from campaign representatives at the polling stations showed Gonzalez trouncing Maduro.
Bias
(95%)
The article does not demonstrate any clear bias towards a specific political ideology or party. However, the author does use language that depicts the opposition as celebrating and preparing to dispute the election results before they have been officially announced. This could be seen as an attempt to frame the opposition in a negative light, implying that they are unwilling to accept the will of the people and potentially inciting unrest. However, this is not an egregious example of bias and should not significantly impact the overall score.
opposition leaders were already celebrating what they assured was a landslide victory for Gonzalez
opposition representatives were preparing to dispute the results
