María Corina Machado is winner of Venezuela opposition primary denounced by government

Venezuelan government critic María Corina Machado was declared the winner Thursday of an opposition-organized primary to choose a presidential candidate, in polling last weekend that was denounced by the self-proclaimed socialist government as illegitimate.

The voting Sunday organized by the National Primary Commission drew more than 2.4 million voters in Venezuela and abroad and was aimed at choosing a candidate to run against President Nicolás Maduro next year.

But despite some assurances by Maduro’s government that the opposition would be allowed to choose a candidate, it has cast heavy doubt on any outcome of the weekend primary. Prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into primary organizers on charges including fraud and usurping authority, and on top of that the government has officially banned Machado from running for office.

Still, the opposition primary commission declared Machado, a former lawmaker, the winner Thursday in an event before opposition leaders and some of the other candidates she obliterated at the ballot box Sunday.

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Results released by the commission showed participation of more than 2.4 million voters, of whom roughly 93% supported Machado.

Voters defied expectations, even in neighborhoods once considered strongholds of the governing party. While they waited in line for hours either under the scorching sun or a downpour, many talked about their hopes for a government change that can pull the country out of a complex crisis that pushed millions into poverty and more than 7.7 million others to migrate.

Maduro’s government last week agreed in principle to let the opposition choose its candidate for the 2024 presidential election. But the government has in the past bent the law, retaliated against opponents and breached agreements as it sees fit.

National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez has argued that the voter turnout claimed by the opposition commission was mathematically impossible given the number of available voting centers and the time it takes a person to cast a ballot.

Meanwhile, the country’s chief prosecutor said the investigation into primary organizers will also look into allegations that include identity theft and money laundering.