Venezuela's Maduro claims victory in boycotted election

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's political alliance claimed a sweeping victory Sunday in congressional elections boycotted by the most influential opposition politicians and widely criticized internationally as being fraudulent.

The win gives Maduro control of the last major branch of government outside his grasp. It plays out in the waning days of the Trump administration, which leaves office with Maduro firmly entrenched despite its efforts to bring about his departure through diplomacy and sanctions.

Maduro's United Socialist Party of Venezuela and allied parties captured 67 seats in the National Assembly, said Indira Alfonzo, president of Venezuela's National Electoral Council.

The National Assembly has been led by U.S.-backed politician Juan Guaido, who has pressed to oust Maduro for nearly two years and end Venezuela's deepening crisis. He's backed by Washington and dozens of nations that consider Maduro's presidency illegitimate.

The election's outcome, however, appears to weaken both Maduro, who's accused ofoverseeing a fixed vote, and Guaido, whose legal claim to the presidency hinges on his role as National Assembly head, while his own popularity fades after failing to oust Maduro.

The opposition boycott stems from a Supreme Court ruling this year appointing a new election commission, including three members who have been sanctioned by the U.S. and Canada, without participation of the opposition-led Congress, as the law requires.

The court also removed the leadership of three opposition parties including Guaido's appointing new leaders the opposition accuses of conspiring to support Maduro.

A small number of opposition parties not associated with Guaido have held dialogue with the government and participated in the election. Critics say this allowed Maduro to maintain the semblance of a valid contest.

Maduro campaigned for his party's candidates including his son and wife promising to finally silence the right-wing opposition, which he accuses of inciting violent street protests and inviting U.S. sanctions.

"There are those who plot coups, those who ask for military intervention," Maduro said on Saturday night in a broadcast on state television, dismissing criticism of the election. "We say: Votes yes war no, bullets no."

The election comes amid uncertainty over the impending change of U.S. administration. Like outgoing President Donald Trump, president-elect Joe Biden has called Maduro a "dictator," though it's unclear what approach he'll take toward Venezuela's crisis.

Despite Venezuela's political turmoil, voting took place with no apparent problems in Caracas, where polling places were operated by civilian militia members and armed soldiers alongside election workers.

As a light flow of voters entered the polls, long lines of drivers throughout Caracas waited to fuel up their cars as the oil rich nation struggles to produce gasoline to meet domestic demands.

Guaido's opposition movement is holding its own referendum over several days immediately after the election. It will ask Venezuelans whether they want to end Maduro's rule and hold new presidential elections.

Deepening political crisis

"Although I cannot promise a magic solution today, I can tell you with certainty and security: You are not alone. We will not give up," Guaido said in a video message. "We are going to give everything until we win."

Surveys indicate that neither Maduro nor Guaido are popular among Venezuelans at a time the nation's economic and political crisis is deepening despite having the world's largest oil reserves.

Karol Teran, a nurse and single mother on her way to work in Caracas, said she didn't vote because it would have no impact. The election is controlled, she said.

"I don't feel like wasting my time, giving these people the opportunity, so I simply don't vote," she said. "We're tired of all this. I'm tired of all of this. It's not easy."

She was still considering whether to participate in the opposition's referendum.

More than fivemillion people have fled the country in recent years, the world's largest migration after that of war-torn Syria. The International Monetary Fund projects a 25 per centdecline this year in Venezuela's GDP, while hyperinflation diminishes the value of its currency, the bolivar, now worth less than a millionth of a dollar on the free market.

Maduro, the hand-picked successor to the late president Hugo Chavez, won a second term in 2018. But his political adversaries and scores of nations, including the U.S., reject his legitimacy, alleging the vote was rigged and his most popular challengers were banned.

Guaido, 37, vowed to oust 58-year-old Maduro early last year basing his claim to the interim presidency on his leadership of the National Assembly, whose term legally ends in early January under the constitution.

The Trump administration and other countries led support of Guaido and have said they will continue to support him in the absence of what they consider fair elections.

Washington has hit Maduro and his political allies with sanctions, and the U.S. Justice Department has indicted Maduro as a "narcoterrorist," offering a $15 millionreward for his arrest.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Sunday's election was fraudulent.

Franois-Philippe Champagne, Canada's foreign affairs minister, said Ottawa doesn't recognize the results of the electoral process because it"did not meet the minimum conditions for a free and fair exercise of democracy."