BOGOTA

Nicolas Maduro, 61, has been declared the winner of Venezuela’s presidential election, securing 51% of the vote against 44% received by opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez, according to the National Electoral Council (CNE).

The announcement was made early on Monday by Elvis Amoroso, head of the electoral authority, who said the results are based on 80% of voting stations.

In his victory speech, Maduro said that his reelection will bring peace and reiterated that fascism "will not happen" in the country.

"The voice of peace triumphed, and in Venezuela there will be peace, peace and peace for our country," he said.

The opposition, led by Maria Corina Machado, has rejected the result. “It is an outrage against the truth.”

The opposition claims that the results announced by the CNE do not correspond to the votes cast. Several exit polls that were disclosed during the day showed a win for opposition candidate Gonzalez. They have also criticized the six-hour delays in releasing official tallies.

Machado said Gonzalez won 70% of the vote in the presidential election.

“We want the whole world to know that we won in every sector and every state in the country. We know what happened today. We’ve been making sure all the information was collected and reported. This shows the results. It is irrefutable,” she said.

Various countries including the US, Brazil, Argentina and Chile have insisted for free elections in the South American country. Shortly after the results were known, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the Washington has “serious concerns” that the Venezuelan election result were not accurate.

“We have serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people,” Blinken said while in Japan.