Staged celebrations as Nicolas Maduro declares victory

As the electoral body controlled by Nicolas Maduro declared he had won a third term in office, fireworks exploded across Venezuela’s capital Caracas.

The city has created a carefully curated soundtrack, like many other activities during this election.

The opposition immediately declared that they, not the president, were the winners.

But you wouldn’t know this if you just read the news here.

Television screens across the country showed jubilant crowds, draped in Venezuelan flags, dancing and cheering for the president.

Nicolas Maduro still has some loyal supporters, known as “Chavistas” after his mentor Hugo Chavez and the socialism he created.

But this figure is still controversial and the election results are still undecided.

As the city returned to normal this morning, the government faced pressure from both the international community and the opposition here to explain its figures – after the opposition had been well ahead in previous polls.

There are some things that are undeniable. Some things that I, as an on-site observer, witnessed.

There were long lines at the polling stations, but only a small number of people were allowed in to vote at one time.

This led to accusations of deliberate delay, perhaps in the hope that some would give up and go home.

When our BBC team arrived at a polling station, the station organiser received a call saying that international media were there. Then 150 people were suddenly allowed in.

Some polling stations did not open, leading to protests and clashes with authorities.

It is alleged that some state employees, including police students, were given instructions on how to vote.

In fact, President Maduro’s face was still emblazoned on some polling stations even on voting day.

His face is on almost every street in Caracas, with his ruling party paying for incentives to get people to support him – buses are shuttled to his rallies and free food packages are handed out.

Even before the allegations of cheating were made clear, the question was raised: Was this contest fair?

Opposition candidates were barred from running, opposition aides were detained, many Venezuelans abroad had difficulty registering to vote, and many international election observers had their invitations revoked.

All of this is seen as an attempt to suppress the opposition vote. The opposition has such a large lead in the polls that many analysts believe these tactics are necessary because it will be difficult for the government to claim victory without looking far-fetched.

But now that they have done so, the opposition is alleging a more specific type of fraud.

They claim they only have access to 30% of the “receipts” printed from electronic voting machines across the country to check whether the machine results match the results sent electronically to the election board.

They argued this could lead to greater risk of tampering with electronic figures and accused many of their observers of not being allowed to participate in the counting process.

The government denies any wrongdoing and instead accuses a “foreign government” of “interference activities.”

So, what happens next?

Much remains unknown. The opposition says it will announce in the coming days how it plans to contest the results.

They and the international community have demanded evidence of the figures the government has given, down to the specifics.

It is hard to see how President Maduro can avoid these calls without serious consequences for the country.

In his victory speech, he referred to US sanctions imposed after the most recent election as unfair.

They have attacked the country’s already fragile economy. Millions of Venezuelans have fled and half the country lives in poverty.

People’s reaction at this point will be key.

The international community has been divided for some time over how to respond to Venezuela, with some governments privately admitting that sanctions “don’t work,” either by encouraging regime change or forcing President Maduro to hold fair elections.

They are also used by President Maduro and his supporters as an excuse for the country’s suffering.

Venezuela’s future and whether it can rebuild is a key issue for the rest of the world – mass migration has caused a migrant crisis at the US border, its vast oil reserves remain largely untapped and it remains an ally of Russia, China, Cuba and Iran in the West.

Meanwhile, the opposition will not back down without a fight.