Tag: Presidential Election

  • US Criticizes Maduro’s Presidential Win

    US Criticizes Maduro’s Presidential Win

    Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) announced on Monday that Maduro has won the presidential election for the third time and will govern the country from 2025 to 2031…reports Asian Lite News

    Raising “serious concerns” about Nicolas Maduro winning the Venezuelan presidential election once again, the United States on Monday said that the result “does not reflect the will or the votes” of the Venezuelan people.

    Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) announced on Monday that Maduro has won the presidential election for the third time and will govern the country from 2025 to 2031.

    “We’ve seen the announcement just a short while ago by the Venezuelan electoral commission. We have serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people,” the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Tokyo.

    “It’s critical that every vote be counted fairly and transparently, that election officials immediately share information with the opposition and independent observers without delay, and that the electoral authorities publish the detailed tabulation of votes. The international community is watching this very closely and will respond accordingly,” he added.

    Blinken’s comments came right in the middle of a media conference which was being addressed jointly by India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko following a meeting of the Quad foreign ministers.

    “If my colleagues will indulge me for just one minute, I want to speak quickly to the elections that just took place in Venezuela. We applaud the Venezuelan people for their participation in the July 28th presidential election. We commend their courage and commitment to democracy in the face of repression and in the face of adversity.

    Maduro received 5,150,092 votes, representing 51.2 per cent of the counted votes, according to the CNE.

    Opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, from the Unitary Platform coalition, received 4,445,978 votes, or 44.2 per cent of the votes.

    Maduro was running against nine presidential candidates. Of all the candidates, Edmundo Gonzalez, a retired diplomat, was seen as a significant challenge to Maduro.

    More than 21.6 million Venezuelans voted to choose President Nicolas Maduro from among the 10 presidential candidates.

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  • Stubb Wins Finnish Presidential Election by Narrow Margin

    Stubb Wins Finnish Presidential Election by Narrow Margin

    Sami Borg, an election analyst for national broadcaster Yle, said the result is the tightest in the era of a direct popular vote…reports Asian Lite News

    The presidential candidate for the National Coalition, Alexander Stubb, narrowly won the Finnish presidential election on Sunday night.

    With all the votes counted, Stubb got 51.6 per cent of support in the final round, while Independent Green candidate Pekka Haavisto obtained 48.4 per cent, according to figures released by the Finnish Ministry of Justice.

    “I can promise that I will do my best every single day for this task,” Stubb said after being confirmed Finland’s next President, Xinhua news agency reported.

    Commenting to the media, Stubb added that Finland is now entering a new era.

    “I would like to continue along the lines of Niinisto, but it is understandable that a new era is starting, ” he said.

    Stubb will be sworn in as the Nordic nation’s 13th President on March 1, replacing Sauli Niinisto.

    Sami Borg, an election analyst for national broadcaster Yle, said the result is the tightest in the era of a direct popular vote.

    During the election evening, Haavisto’s share kept increasing as the count progressed, but he was not able to catch up with the difference.

    The voter turnout was 70.7 per cent, down from 75 per cent in the initial round.

    Stubb, 55, had worked as a member of the European Parliament, member of the Finnish Parliament, Finnish Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, and Deputy Director General of the European Investment Bank. He holds a Ph.D. in international politics and speaks Swedish, Finnish, English, French and German.

    A presidential election is held in Finland every six years. The election is conducted through a direct popular vote. Nine candidates competed in the initial round on January 28 this year, with the top two advancing to the final round.

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