Venezuela's Maduro defies exit polls to claim third presidential term

CARACAS (Reuters) -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has won a third term with 51% of the vote, the country's electoral authority said just after midnight on Monday, despite multiple exit polls that pointed to an opposition win.

The authority said opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez won 44% of the vote, though the opposition had earlier said it had "reasons to celebrate" and asked supporters to continue monitoring vote counts.

Maduro, appearing at the presidential palace before cheering supporters, said his reelection is a triumph of peace and stability and reiterated his campaign trail assertion that Venezuela's electoral system is transparent.

He will sign a decree on Monday to hold a "great national dialogue," Maduro added.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States had "serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people."

Blinken called for electoral authorities to publish a detailed tabulation of votes.

A poll from Edison Research, known for its polling of U.S. elections, had predicted in an exit poll that Gonzalez would win 65% of the vote, while Maduro would win 31%.

Local firm Meganalisis predicted a 65% vote for Gonzalez and just under 14% for Maduro.

About 80% of ballot boxes have been counted, said National Electoral Council (CNE) President Elvis Amoroso in a televised statement, adding results had been delayed because of an "aggression" against the electoral data transmission system.

The CNE has asked the attorney general to investigate the "terrorist actions" Amoroso said, adding participation was 59%.

The CNE is meant to be an independent body, but the opposition alleges it acts as an arm of the government.

The top opposition official meant to witness the overall national count was not allowed to and there were several polling stations where opposition observers were not allowed to observe, the opposition said on Sunday night.

The opposition had earlier said voters had chosen a change after 25 years of socialist party rule.

"The results cannot be hidden. The country has peacefully chosen a change," Gonzalez said in a post on X at around 11 p.m. local time, before the results were announced.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado reiterated a call for the country's military to uphold the results of the vote. The opposition has said it has copies of about 30% of voting records.

"A message for the military. The people of Venezuela have spoken: they don't want Maduro," she said earlier on X. "It is time to put yourselves on the right side of history. You have a chance and it's now."

Venezuela's military has always supported Maduro, a 61-year-old former bus driver and foreign minister, and there have been no public signs that leaders of the armed forces are breaking from the government.