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On July 28, Venezuela's National Electoral Council declared President Nicolás Maduro the winner (51.21% of the votes), defeating opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez (44.2%)
The opposition contested the official results, claiming their count showed Gonzalez with 67% of the votes and Maduro at only 30%.
They demanded the publication of detailed vote tallies, which Maduro's government refused.
The refusal to release vote data sparked massive protests, resulting in a government crackdown that led to 24 deaths and over 2,000 arrests.
Venezuela
Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea
The capital and largest urban agglomeration is the city of Caracas.
The continental territory is bordered on the north by the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Colombia, Brazil on the south, Trinidad and Tobago to the north-east and on the east by Guyana.
The territory of Venezuela was colonized by Spain in 1522 amid resistance from Indigenous peoples.
In 1811, it became one of the first Spanish-American territories to declare independence
Geographical features:
Angel Falls in Venezuela the world's tallest uninterrupted waterfall, with a height of 979 metres
Lake Maracaibo
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