Andreina Itriago Acosta, Bloomberg News

CARACAS
EnergiesNet.com 10 25 2023

María Corina Machado definitively won Venezuela’s opposition primaries, a final bulletin from the organizing committee confirmed, solidifying her leadership ahead of the 2024 presidential vote.

Machado soundly defeated nine contenders on Sunday, securing 92.4% support. Turnout was higher than expected, with almost 2.5 million people casting ballots inside Venezuela and abroad, the committee said late Tuesday. 

The official result, considered “conclusive” with more than 90% of votes counted, was announced 48 hours after the first bulletin. The opposition said it faced technical issues including a blocked server during the vote tallying process. 

Government officials, including President Nicolás Maduro, accused the opposition of inflating the numbers and denounced the vote as a “fraud.” On Tuesday, the president of the national assembly said the alleged electoral meddling violated a deal that led to US sanctions being eased.

After Machado, the candidates who earned the most votes in the primary were: 

• Former lawmaker Carlos Prosperi got 4.6% support
  
• Delsa Solorzano, another former lawmaker, won 0.6%
  
• Andres Caleca, former head of the National Electoral Council, got 0.5%

bloomberg.com 10 25 2023