Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, was declared the winner of a high-stakes presidential vote by the country’s election authority early Monday, a result that would extend his party’s rule into a third decade.
With 80 percent of voting stations counted, the election authority stated that Mr. Maduro had received 51.2 percent of the vote, while his closest competitor, Edmundo González, had received 44.2 percent.
The result is very likely to be disputed by the country’s opposition, which for the first time in years believed it had a shot at ousting Mr. Maduro at the ballot box.
Frustration over the outcome could plunge the oil-rich nation into a period of deep uncertainty, with concern that street demonstrations could follow.
