Maduro says he won regional elections

May 26, 2025

Venezuela’s ruling PSUV swept in yesterday’s regional and legislative elections, according to the government-loyal electoral authority, which did not post results online as it had in elections before 2024.

Voters chose state legislators, 285 members of the unicameral National Assembly and all 24 governors, including a newly created governorship for Essequibo, a region controlled by Guyana and disputed by Venezuela.

Speaking on state television on yesterday night, the vice president of the electoral body, Carlos Quintero, said that an alliance of parties that support Maduro had won more than 80 percent of votes cast for legislative seats. The same coalition had won governors’ seats in 22 of the country’s 23 states — leaving just one governed by a dissenting voice.

The elections took place in a context of intense, ongoing political repression — on Friday 70 people including opposition politician Juan Pablo Guanipa were detained on charges of heading a “terrorist network” that planned to “sabotage” the vote.

It’s the first time Venezuelans vote since last year’s presidential election, in which Nicolás Maduro claimed reelection despite significant evidence that the opposition won by a landslide. The political opposition was divided, while the faction led by María Corina Machado called for a boycott, other leaders, such as Henrique Capriles, urged voters to participate as a form of resistance.

The electoral council reported a low participation rate of 42 percent. Journalists report nearly empty polling stations in major cities, though state media spoke of high turnout. According to the opposition, turnout was far lower due to the boycott, at only around 15% of eligible voters.

(Reuters, Associated Press, DPA, New York Times, Al Jazeera, Washington Post, New York Times, Miami Herald, AFP)

Guatemala

• A United Nations expert warned Friday that Guatemala’s prosecutor’s office is increasingly using criminal law against former prosecutors, judges, defense attorneys, journalists and others, reports the Associated Press.

Argentina

• Argentina’s intelligence agency recently approved a plan that could allow agents to gather intelligence on journalists, economists, academics and other critics of President Javier Milei and his government, according to a report by investigative journalist Hugo Alconada Mon in La Nación. (See Buenos Aires Herald for English.)

• Lawmakers in Argentina voiced concerns over press freedom after Milei’s government moved to limit access for reporters to the executive branch building. (Buenos Aires Times)

• The Archbishop of Buenos Aires fiercely criticized Milei during a mass the leader attended yesterday, marking a patriotic holiday, saying that under the government’s harsh policies “fraternity, tolerance and respect are dying.” (Associated Press)

Ecuador

• Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa was officially sworn in on Saturday following his reelection for another four-year term early this year. (Associated Press)

Regional Relations

• Brazil and China have forged closer ties in recent years, not only on trade, but also shared commitment to a multipolar world, reports the Guardian.

• Last week’s tussle in the Trump administration over Chevron’s waiver to operate in Venezuela (see Friday’s post) “highlighted the ongoing enmity between Rubio, the nation’s top diplomat and acting White House national security adviser, and Grenell, who served as ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence in Trump’s first term,” reports the Washington Post.

Mexico

• A protest by a powerful Mexican teachers’ union — demanding higher wages — briefly halted flights at the main international airport in Mexico City on Friday afternoon, delaying travel for thousands of passengers as security forces swarmed into the airport’s terminals in a bid to assert order, reports the New York Times.

• Mexico’s first judicial elections will take place next weekend, an exercise the Financial Times characterizes as: “a unique experiment that legal groups warn threatens judicial independence, throws out 30 years of knowledge and opens the door to organised crime.”

Migration

• Thousands of Venezuelans who are returning homeward, a reverse migration encouraged by the U.S., face the same dangers they encountered headed north: threats of robbery, kidnapping and a dangerous sea route, reports the New York Times.

• Colombia’s Petro administration has overseen a shift towards a more restrictive approach on migration, reports La Silla Vacía, noting concerns about limited access to regularization, among other challenges. (Via Americas Migration Brief.)

• As a teen Kilmar Abrego García, deported by the U.S. by mistake with alleged gang members, fled El Salvador to avoid gang recruitment, reports the Washington Post.

• Julión Álvarez, a popular Mexican singer had to cancel a concert in the U.S. after the Trump administration allegedly revoked his visa, preventing him from entering the country, reports the Guardian.

Critter Corner

• Researchers discovered that parasitic weevils in Brazil induce plants to grow protective galls that can shield their larvae from wildfires, with about 66% surviving even after exposure to intense heat, reports the New York Times.

• For decades, the men and women of the Venezuelan Crocodile Specialist Group have been raising younglings of the critically endangered Orinoco crocodile in a race against time to avoid its extinction — Guardian photo essay