Election result dispute

PRESIDENT Nicolas Maduro has been declared the winner of Venezuela's presidential election, even as his opponents were preparing to dispute the results.

The dispute sets up a showdown that will determine whether the South American nation transitions away from one-party rule.

Elvis Amoroso, head of the National Electoral Council, said Mr Maduro secured 51% of the vote, overcoming opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, who garnered 44%. He said the results were based on 80% of voting stations, marking an irreversible trend.

It came as opposition leaders were celebrating, online and outside a few voting centres, what they saw as a landslide victory for Mr Gonzalez.