Venezuela opposition marks two years since election, highlighting González Urrutia's claimed victory

Two years ago, on July 28, 2024, Venezuela held presidential elections that marked a significant moment in the country's contemporary political history. The election day was characterized by unprecedented citizen mobilization, with voters peacefully heading to the polls to express their desire for democratic change and grant a decisive victory to the diplomatic candidate Edmundo González Urrutia.

From the early hours of that Sunday in July 2024, polling stations across Caracas, Miranda, Zulia, Carabobo, Lara, and other states saw extensive queues of voters. The day unfolded with remarkable citizen organization, bolstered by a network of poll watchers, local committees, and the 600K plan coordinated by opposition leader María Corina Machado and the United Democratic Platform (PUD).

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The election did not meet international integrity parameters.

Despite the subsequent proclamation of Nicolás Maduro by the National Electoral Council (CNE) – a process that lacked detailed results and required audits – the Venezuelan opposition achieved a historic feat. They collected, digitized, and published 83.5% of the physical tally sheets printed directly by the voting machines nationwide. These official documents, made publicly available on an auditable website, indicated that González Urrutia secured 7,443,584 votes, representing 67% of the ballots cast.

In contrast, the ruling party's candidate, Nicolás Maduro, garnered 3,385,155 votes, accounting for 30% of the total vote. This irrefutable difference of over four million votes demonstrated a resounding triumph for the democratic alternative, evident in both major cities and historically pro-government rural and popular sectors. International observers, including the Carter Center and a UN Panel of Experts, noted that the election did not meet international integrity standards and that the official count lacked transparency.

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The official scrutiny lacked transparency.