Arturo Rosales, for Axis of Logic, May 21st 2018
According to the Observer these were "sham" elections
For more than 2 years the opposition and the US were calling for early elections based on the "fact" that 80% rejected Maduro. When the poll was called in February they turned round and said that they did not want it after receiving lectoral beatings in state and regional elections a few months earlier.
The main opposition parties decided to boycott the elections and their representatives spent time asking for Trump to samcion their own country stopping imports of food and medicines. This still continues with over US$1.2 billion frozen in Europe at the moment.
Henry Falcón defied the opposition boycott and postulated himself as candidate despite having taken an electoral beating in the state elections in Lara, where he lost by a wide margin (30%) to Maduro's candidate.
There was nothing sham about thsi election. The opposition called for abstention and for people to stay at home and that is what happened - exactly as in the December 2005 partliamentary elections.n
Why did people vote for Maduro and not stay at home? Simple - the mass of humble and poor Venezuelans know that it is the opposition and the business community that is behind rampant inflation and attacks on the local currency. Exactly as happened in Nicarague in 1989 - 1990.
Maduro has made subsidized food available to many poor people that has in effect stopped hunger getting even worse and people understand this.
You can cry fraud all you, the US and the defeated candidates want - but at least present some evidence of fraud or vote buying.
Of the 24 elections held in Venezuela since 1998, the opposition won 2 - one in 2007 and then again in 2015. Of the other 22 victories of chavismo, they always say it is fraud - with no evidence. It is just media noise to discredit their own country and play into the hands of the US.
Even Rondon who is a director of the Elections Board and supports the opposition stated that the conditions for these elections were exactly the same as in December 2015 when the opposition won control of the parliemnt by a wide margin.
Draw your own conclusions.