Yahoo TV

STORY: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claimed victory in the country's presidential election, but opposition rival Edmundo Gonzalez claimed he was the victor and had the polling to prove it.

:: What happened with the count?

The country's electoral authority (CNE) said Maduro had won a third six-year term with 51% of the vote.

The authority said Gonzalez won 44%, but opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said Gonzalez had secured 70% of the vote and that multiple independent exit polls and quick counts decisively showed his victory.

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.

:: Was voting peaceful?

The government said that except for some isolated minor incidents, voting was peaceful.

Motorcycle-riding ruling party supporters known as 'collectives' clashed briefly in the evening with opposition supporters outside the country's largest polling place in central Caracas.

Gonzalez called on his supporters to remain peaceful.

:: Who is Nicholas Maduro?

Maduro, a former bus driver who was the hand-picked successor of his mentor Hugo Chavez, has been in power since Chavez's death in 2013.

His government has presided over a sharp economic and social deterioration. The U.S. reimposed oil sanctions in April, accusing Maduro of reneging on promises to ensure free elections.

:: Who is Edmundo Gonzalez?

Gonzalez is a 74-year-old former diplomat who has been a long-time but low-profile member of the opposition.

He was originally registered as a placeholder in March, after popular opposition leader Machado was unable to register because of alleged fraud violations, which she denies.

Machado has since thrown herself into campaigning for Gonzalez.

The two - speaking to large crowds around the country - have employed emotional rhetoric, including about their hope for the many who have emigrated from Venezuela in recent years to return home.

:: What has been the international response?

The United States said it has serious concerns that the results announced by the electoral authority do not reflect the votes of the people.

Meanwhile, reactions from Latin American leaders were mixed.

Argentine President Javier Milei called the official result a fraud, while Costa Rica and Peru rejected it and Chile said it would not accept any result that was not verifiable.

Russia and Cuba cheered Maduro's victory.