As Tension over Venezuelan Election Escalates, the Left Debates Who Won the Contested Vote

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In Venezuela, tensions are rising over the contested results of last Sunday’s presidential election. In the latest developments, opposition candidate Edmundo González published a count of thousands of vote tally sheets alleging that he received more votes than sitting President Nicolás Maduro, who is claiming to have secured a third term fairly. Protesters from both sides have taken to the streets; more than a dozen have been killed by Venezuelan armed forces. Maduro has called for a “new revolution” if the U.S. and other foreign actors continue to back his opposition and dispute the integrity of the election. We hear opinions from both camps on the show today. “There’s no doubt that Maduro lost these elections,” says Venezuelan sociologist Edgardo Lander, who contends that sufficient evidence of Maduro’s win “that’s expected and established by the law is completely absent,” while legal scholar Nina Farnia, who served as electoral observer in this year’s election, says she witnessed a “free and fair election process” and supports the Electoral Council’s decision.

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