Electoral crisis in Venezuela: doubts and tensions following Maduro's victory.

The presidential elections in Venezuela, held on July 28, have left an uncertain and controversial landscape. Almost six weeks after the electoral day, trust in the process has been eroded by the multiple irregularities surrounding the voting. The National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed Nicolás Maduro as the winner with 52% of the votes, equivalent to 6.4 million ballots. However, the lack of transparency in the counting process and the absence of published results have raised questions both nationally and internationally. Maduro's victory proclamation has been met with skepticism, not only from the internal opposition but also from global actors such as the United States, the European Union, and several Latin American countries. María Corina Machado, opposition leader, has denounced that the candidate from the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), Edmundo González Urrutia, would have garnered 67% support from voters, based on data from over 83.5% of the voting records available on the results portal resultadosconvzla.com. This discontent has been reflected in the post-electoral violence that has intensified in the weeks following the elections. On September 2, the judiciary controlled by chavismo issued an arrest warrant against González, accusing him of "conspiracy," "usurpation of functions," and "sabotage." The authorities' response to concerns about the legitimacy of the electoral process has been aggressive, contributing to a climate of tension in the country. In light of the CNE's lack of transparency, the Argentine newspaper La Nación has launched the initiative "Open Records," a project aimed at collecting and validating the results from each voting center through citizen collaboration. Through this platform, 25,073 records have been analyzed, representing 83.5% of the enabled polling stations, and efforts are being made to geolocate the voting centers and verify the results reported by each of them. Voter participation in the elections was 60%, with approximately 11 million votes out of a total of 18 million eligible citizens. This figure, while considerable, has been overshadowed by doubts about the freedom and fairness of the process. The "Open Records" platform also allows citizens to provide information about records that still lack available data, which could contribute to greater clarity regarding the actual results of the election. The results, according to the records compiled by the opposition, show a favorable picture for González in the country's major urban centers. In Caracas, for example, the PUD candidate received 64% of the votes, while Maduro only reached 32%. The most notable difference was recorded in the state of Táchira, where González accumulated an impressive 82% of the votes, with 97% of the records digitized by the opposition. The situation in Barinas, the birthplace of Hugo Chávez, was no different. The PUD garnered support from 74% of voters, reflecting palpable discontent in the region with the current regime. These results suggest that support for Nicolás Maduro is not as solid as the CNE attempts to present, and that there is a broad sector of the population yearning for change. Meanwhile, the international community is closely watching the evolution of events in Venezuela. The lack of recognition of Maduro's victory by many countries highlights the current divisions within global politics regarding the legitimacy of the Venezuelan government. The statements from opposition leaders and their search for support abroad could mark the country's next direction. In this climate of tension and distrust, the future of democracy in Venezuela is at a crossroads. Accurate and transparent information will be crucial for citizens to effectively exercise their right to vote in future electoral processes. The citizen collaboration initiative undertaken by various media outlets may be a step towards greater clarity and accountability in a country that has been mired in political opacity for years. The coming weeks will be decisive in determining the path Venezuela will take in its difficult search for truth and justice.