On Monday, both President Nicolas Maduro and opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez claimed victory in Venezuela's presidential election.
The national electoral authority announced shortly after midnight that Maduro had secured a third term with 51% of the vote, continuing the socialist rule for another term.
However, independent exit polls indicated a different outcome, suggesting a significant win for Gonzalez. Edison Research, known for its election polling in the United States and other countries, published an exit poll showing Gonzalez, a 74-year-old ex-diplomat, had won 65% of the vote, compared to 31% for Maduro.
Local polling firm Meganalisis also predicted a 65% vote for Gonzalez and just under 14% for Maduro.
Argentine President Javier Milei called the official election result fraudulent, while Costa Rica and Peru rejected it, and Chile stated it would not accept any result that was not verifiable.
