There was no victory party for supporters of Nicolás Maduro, Hugo Chávez’s chosen successor. Maduro won by a razor-thin margin, and his opponent, Henrique Capriles Radonski, demanded a recount. When he was denied one, he called on his supporters to protest, which led to clashes with National Guard soldiers. Maduro won by 262,000 votes out of more than 14.8 million cast. “If you go, in a cowardly way, to be certified today, you are an illegitimate president,” said Capriles.
