Venezuela’s Maduro wins new six-year term

Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela’s socialist leader, won another six-year term in Sunday’s presidential election, even as the ruling party faced accusations of irregularities. The National Election Council said Maduro emerged with nearly 68 percent of the vote, with ballots from more than 92 percent of the polling centers counted. His nearest opponent, Henri Falcon, emerged more than 40 points behind him. Maduro promised to spend his tenure repairing the country’s economy. Venezuela is in the midst of a recession that has sent the oil-rich country into hyperinflation and triggered a shortage of food and medicine. “We will be the most powerful and largest political force in Venezuela for a long time,” Maduro told a celebrating crowd. “It doesn’t faze me when they say I’m a dictator.” Falcon called for a new election after accusing the ruling government of buying votes and offering incentives to encourage the poor to participate. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the election a “sham,” saying, “We need Venezuelan people running this country … a nation with much to offer the world.”