Maduro proclaimed Venezuela's President in spite of recount calls

The National Electoral Council (CNE) declared Nicolás Maduro Moros to be the newly elected President of Venezuela on 15 April in spite of the opposition's calls for a recount of votes for alleged irregularities; it unclear if this would happen. The CNE declared that with 99.17 per cent of votes counted, Maduro won 7,559,349 or 50.75 per cent of votes cast and his rival Henrique Capriles Radonsky 7,296,876 or 48.98 per cent of votes, Spain's El País reported on 15 April. The opposition was reported to have denounced 3,000 or more irregularities at polling stations. One of five directors of the CNE identified as not attached to the socialist regime, Vicente Díaz, had earlier said there should be a recount although an electoral tribunal had to authorise this, El País wrote. While Leftist states friendly to Venezuela's regime swiftly recognised Maduro's apparent victory, other observers from the United States and Spain to the Secretary-General of the Organization of American States José Miguel Insulza, were cautious about results. Venezuela recalled its ambassador in Madrid for consultations after Spain's Foreign Minister José Manuel García-Margallo commented that "one has to wait and see who the winner is," Europa Press reported on 15 April. Foreign Minister Elías Jaua said "there is a winner here, Nicolás Maduro won the Presidency...as the National Electoral Council has dictated." He reportedly deplored Insulza's stated support for the vote-count demanded by Henrique Capriles. Separately the Speaker of parliament Diosdado Cabello declared he would call for an inquiry against Capriles on 16 April for alleged complicity in disorders reported in Venezuela late on 15 April. Two at least died in the protests, which erupted in several Venezuelan states after Mr Capriles rejected the election results, Europa Press and Venezuelan media reported. Maduro warned Capriles "a majority is a majority...whoever seeks to harm the majority is trying to launch a coup," Europa Press reported on 16 April.