Alwaght- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has rejected claims of alleged election fraud during Sunday's regional elections, reaffirming his country's electoral transparency.
Speaking on Tuesday, he announced that all data pertaining to the elections will become available by the end of the day, amidst claims of a lack of transparency by the right-wing opposition and the United States.
The Venezuelan president also confirmed that the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela, PSUV, won 18 of 23 governorships during elections on Sunday.
Maduro said the PSUV had obtained 64 percent of the national vote, an almost one-million-vote difference from the opposition, winning 18 seats. The opposition won five governorships.
Maduro said Tuesday his socialist party's landslide victory in the free and fair regional elections had delivered a "strong message" to the US and its allies.
"Our people have given a strong message to imperialism, to (US President Donald) Trump, to its regional allies and to the local right," an ebullient Maduro told a news conference after the opposition rejected the results which the US and EU said were deeply flawed.
"That’s democracy: you win and you lose," Maduro said during a press conference with international media. "And when we lose, we recognize it. And when we win, we govern with the people."
"In the elections in 2015, we did not cry fraud. We accepted the results and I assumed the responsibility of the defeat," Maduro said.
"The opposition never acknowledges when we win an election. Only when they win," Maduro said.
The Venezuelan president said his government will continue dialogue with the opposition, which he said continues to create excuses and cancels talks while calling for violent protests.
The US has issued several rounds of sanctions against Venezuelan officials, partly in response to the creation of a legislative body called the Constituent Assembly. Trump’s administration has publicized its policy of pursuing regime change in Venezuela to oust the socialist government which pursues a fiercely anti-imperialist policy.
