President Nicolas Maduro, representing the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, "comfortably" won the country's May 20 election, Reuters reported May 21, citing the election board.
Maduro garnered 5.8 million votes against the 1.8 million votes for rival Henri Falcon of the Progressive Advance. Javier Bertucci, an independent, also ran against the incumbent.
The election board said turnout was 46.1%, down from 80% in the 2013 presidential vote, due to a boycott call by Venezuela's mainstream opposition.
Maduro's rivals contested his victory, charging the poll was marked by widespread irregularities, Reuters reported. The U.S. said it would not recognize the results.
Venezuela is undergoing an economic crisis marked by high inflation, increasing hunger and a collapse of public services. The International Monetary Fund has censured the country for its lack of transparency in reporting its economic data.
