Hello and welcome to News Hour live from the BBC World Service in London.

I'm Rebecca Kersby.

Nicola Maduro has won a third presidential term in Venezuela.

That is according to the state-run electoral council,

the head of the election authorities who's a close ally of Mr Maduro said that with 80% of the votes counted, President Maduro

had about 51% of the vote compared to about 44% for his main rival Edmondo Gonzalez.

But the opposition has declared the results to be fraudulent citing

widespread irregularities at polling stations

and a lack of transparency during the counting of the ballots.

They say they're going to challenge the results.

One leading figure in the opposition movement, Maria Curie, Machado, told reporters we won and the whole world knows it.

Some opposition supporters are now vowing to stage peaceful demonstrations to protest the

result, but in the past harsh put towns of

demonstrations has led to violence with the details his our South America correspondent

Ioni Wells in the capital Gurakas. There must be respect for the popular will.

Which country in the world after receiving 930 criminal sanctions after having suffered

what we have suffered theirs to call elections we called them they were

carried out in an exemplary manner and I can say before the people of Venezuela and before the world.

President Maduro,

President Maduro claiming victory for a third time, asking people to respect the will of the people. The question the

opposition are asking is has he? Freedom, freedom, emotional cries as the polls closed at one polling station in Caracas,

in an election where many were voting for change.

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