China, Russia Hail Maduro Victory As US Congress Members Urge Intervention Over 'Fraud' Election

By most accounts, things are surprisingly quiet on the streets of Caracas, despite the opposition candidate Edmundo González and his backers, specifically the prominent and outspoken Maria Corina Machado, loudly contesting the result. There have been some reports of protesters blocking highways and burning tires, including to the capital's international airport, however. It's not just that the opposition says that the election was stolen, but that González actually won by a land-slide: "Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said early on Monday that opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez won 70% of the vote in a presidential contest over the weekend," writes Reuters. This came just after the government controlled national electoral council announced a 51% victory for President Nicolas Maduro. This flew in the face of several exit polls. According to more from Bloomberg: "After a lengthy delay following the closing of polls, Venezuela’s electoral center said Maduro won 51.2% of the vote, compared with 44.2% for rival Edmundo González. But opposition leader María Corina Machado, who was barred from running, said her coalition had gained access to 40% of the tabulated votes and had González winning 70% of the vote so far."