Capriles says the government lacks legitimacy.
The defeated candidate in the Venezuelan presidential election said he will not recognize the results of the vote, which gave his opponent, Nicolás Maduro, the victory by about 1,7 percentage points: "The big loser today is you (Maduro)," he said.
Opera Mundi – Defeated Venezuelan presidential candidate Henrique Capriles said late Sunday night (April 14) that he will not recognize the election results, which gave his opponent, Nicolás Maduro, the victory by about 1,7 percentage points.
"The big loser today is you (Maduro)," said Capriles, candidate for the MUD (Democratic Unity Roundtable) coalition.
According to the opposition candidate, approximately one million votes cast for him were counted by the government. He added that he will not recognize the result until all the ballots have been tallied.
Before Capriles' speech, Maduro stated that he was not afraid of a possible request for an electoral audit. "They want to conduct an audit? Welcome to the audit. We trust in the electoral authority of Venezuela."
Capriles demanded a "detailed review of the electoral process before the country and the world." The opposition leader also stated that he "does not condone either lies or corruption."
“Mr. Maduro, if you were illegitimate before, today you are even more burdened with illegitimacy,” he added, stating that the result does not reflect the reality of the people. According to him, for the peace of the country, “the truth must be known.”
In his speech, Capriles also stated that he had a record of 3.200 instances of electoral irregularities.
During Capriles' speech, opposition supporters gathered in his committee applauded and celebrated his statements.