The Venezuelan opposition was victorious in the elections for governor in the state of Barinas, birthplace of former President Hugo Chávez, ending a 22-year period in which the Bolivarian leader’s family members were at the helm of the state government.
This Sunday’s dispute was held after the Justice, aligned with Chavismo, annulled the election held last November, when the results indicated a victory for the opposition.
According to the Associated Press news agency, voters in Barinas elected Sergio Garrido, a representative of the United Democratic Mesa (MUD), a US-backed opposition party.
The official result had not been confirmed by the electoral authorities until Sunday night — the winner of the contest had not yet spoken.
In turn, the candidate of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and the country’s chancellor, Jorge Arreaza, conceded defeat. “The information we have received from our PSUV structures indicates that, even though we have increased our votes, we have not been able to achieve the objective. I sincerely thank our heroic militancy. We will continue to protect the Barine people in all spaces,” he wrote on Twitter.
The dispute in Barinas was marked by the annulment of the original result in November by the Supreme Court of Justice, linked to dictator Nicolás Maduro, Chávez’s successor. At the time, the court also ruled that opposition candidate Freddy Superlano, who was ahead of the count, could not run in the new election because he was accused of corruption.
With the recognition of the defeat by Chavismo, the opposition should take over the government of Chávez’s home state (1954 – 2013). The PSUV ruled Barinas since 1998.
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