Iran felicitates Venezuela on peaceful parliamentary, regional elections

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has congratulated the Venezuelan government and nation on the peaceful and democratic administration of their recent parliamentary and regional elections.

“We congratulate the people and Bolivarian government of Venezuela on holding the elections for the National Assembly, governorships, and local legislative councils, in a peaceful environment and with the presence of more than 1,400 international observers,” the ministry said in a Spanish-language post on X.

“In these elections, the people of Venezuela once again demonstrated their participation in determining their political destiny. We wish the people of Venezuela and their elected representatives success and glory.”

President Nicolas Maduro's United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) maintained its significant majority in the National Assembly on Sunday, clinching nearly 83% of the votes and securing 23 out of 24 state governor positions, according to the electoral authority.

Sunday's legislative results and the landslide victory will keep the ruling party in control of the attorney general's office and the top court, whose members are elected by lawmakers.

Maduro’s ruling party sweeps Venezuela’s parliamentary and regional elections

Venezuela

The elections were boycotted by several opposition leaders, further deepening divisions among parties opposed to Maduro's democratically-elected government.

The main opposition group, led by popular figurehead Maria Corina Machado, had urged voters to stay away to avoid legitimizing what she claimed to be a "farce" election.

Opposition candidates won just one governorship, in the state of Cojedes, west of the capital Caracas, down from the four won by opposition parties in 2021.

Despite the divisions and boycotts, the turnout to choose 24 state governors and 285 lawmakers was similar to the 2021 elections, at 42.6% of 21 million eligible voters, according to National Electoral Council rector Carlos Quintero.

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