GEOFF BENNETT: Welcome to the "News Hour."

The U.S. says it has serious concerns about# the election results in Venezuela.

That's after## Venezuela's authoritarian leader, Nicolas Maduro,# declared a victory in a tumultuous presidential## race.

Exit polls in yesterday's voting showed# a blowout win for the opposition party.

Now both Maduro and the# opposition have claimed to win,## but most world leaders have held# back from recognizing the results.

Even before the official results,# the headlines were set and the papers## went to print.

Venezuelan President Nicolas# Maduro claimed another six years in office.

JUAN BARRERA, Venezuelan Resident (through# translator): This really caught my attention.## It was not what you would expect.# At least, I did not expect it.

GEOFF BENNETT: And there was good reason# for that surprise on the otherwise quiet## streets of Caracas.

Last night's# exit polls told a different story,## showing that Maduro's main challenger, Edmundo# Gonzalez Urrutia, would win by a large margin.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado,# who championed Gonzalez after she was## banned from running by Venezuela's# Supreme Court, declared his victory.

MARIA CORINA MACHADO, Venezuela Opposition# Leader (through translator): Edmundo Gonzalez## Urrutia got 70 percent of the votes# in this election and Nicolas Maduro## received 30 percent of the votes.

This# is the truth.

And, my dear Venezuelans,## this is the Venezuelan election with the# largest margin of victory in history.

GEOFF BENNETT: As the polls closed on# Sunday night, opposition supporters tried## to witness the count.

But scuffles broke out as# Maduro's supporters showed up to push them back.

Hours after voting ended, the Maduro-controlled# National Election Authority declared him the## winner with 51 percent of the vote and 44 percent# for Gonzalez, who vowed to continue his fight.

EDMUNDO GONZALEZ, Venezuela Opposition# Presidential Candidate (through translator): What## .. to the point that the majority of electoral# registers have still not been handed over.

GEOFF BENNETT: The Venezuelan electoral# body made a Maduro win official today,## but the opposition has# argued for more transparency.

ANTONIO LEDEZMA, Former Mayor of Caracas,# Venezuela (through translator): Maria Corina## Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez have all the# records and numbers.

It's just a matter of## reviewing them.

That's why we are asking for# a review of each record to uncover the truth.

Machado and Gonzalez presented the biggest# challenge to the United Socialist Party## since the revolutionary Hugo Chavez took office# more than 25 years ago.

Venezuela was once the## most advanced economy in Latin America,# with the world's largest oil reserves.

But since Chavez died and his# protege Maduro took office in 2013,## Venezuela has spiraled amid devastating inflation,# economic collapse and alleged human rights abuses;## 7.7 million Venezuelans have left the# country, almost a third of the population.## Many world leaders have denounced or# discounted Maduro's announced victory.

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. Secretary of# State: The international community## is watching this very closely# and will respond accordi.. GEOFF BENNETT: U.S. Secretary of State Antony# Blinken negotiated with Maduro to ease American## sanctions on Venezuela's state-owned# oil and gas industries in exchange for## a commitment to free and fair elections.

Blinken# addressed the results on a trip to Asia today.

ANTONY BLINKEN: We have serious# concerns that the result announced## does not reflect the will or the# votes of the Venezuelan people.

GEOFF BENNETT: But Maduro appears undeterred.

NICOLAS MADURO, Venezuelan President# (through translator): A triumph of## the national independence, the dignity of#.. weren't enough.

Aggressions against us# weren't enough.

Threats weren't enough,## not today, and those will never be enough# against the dignity of the Venezuelan people.

GEOFF BENNETT: And we are joined now# by Ricardo Zuniga, founding partner of## Dinamica Americas.

That's an international# advisory group.

He's also a former State## Department official who served as President# Obama's principal adviser for the Americas.

It's great to have you here.

RICARDO ZUNIGA, Former State Department# Offi.. GEOFF BENNETT: I want to start# with your reacti.. Maduro's declaration of victory in Venezuela.

RICARDO ZUNIGA: Well, Maduro knows, and so# does everyone else, in Venezuela and outside## of Venezuela that he lost the selection# in the landslide to Edmundo Gonzalez.

At this point, he's doing what he can,# apparently, to try to change the facts## on the ground.

But he did that in 2018.

I don't# think he's stronger today than he was in 2018,## and certainly not even stronger than# he was yesterday.

So he's trying to## essentially cement these facts, gather as many# international allies as he can to support him,## unsuccessfully for the most part,# and essentially steal the selection.

GEOFF BENNETT: What options are available to# the U.S. as it weighs its response?

Because,## until now, sanctions had# been the main leverage point.

RICARDO ZUNIGA: Well, sanctions# were one point of leverage,## and they were designed exactly as# that, as one part of the option.

Diplomatic negotiations with the Maduro# team, but also basically coalescing a## larger group of international actors,# especially from the Americas and Europe,## to try to pressure for democratic change# and support democratic actors in Venezuela,## that is an important source of# leverage for the United States.

There's also the fact that conditions regionally# have changed dramatically over time.

There is## very, very little support regionally for the# government that he is going to try to reimpose.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, how instrumental# are those regional players, like Brazil,## Colombia, Chile, all of whom they have# demanded to see a total vote tally here?

RICARDO ZUNIGA: Well, they have.

And so what Maduro is trying to do today i.. factor at all by establishing facts on the ground# through the use of force and through the theft## of ballot boxes, a very old-style approach# to election theft with very little guile.

But those actors, those regional actors, remain# extremely important.

And what Brazil says,## what Colombia says is going to weigh a lot.# These are important trading partners for## Venezuela.

They share not just borders, but a# lot of interests in common.

They're also the## destination for millions of Venezuelans# who have left that collapsing state.

GEOFF BENNETT: Meantime, China and Russia are## rallying behind Maduro.

What# are the implications there?

RICARDO ZUNIGA: Well, unfortunately, that's# going to continue this farce of an election.## That is going to provide some vital support.

But they also have to look at Maduro as# a weakened leader.

At the end of the day,## he allowed an election that demonstrated just# how weak he is internally.

And those are not## the only ones.

His domestic allies# will also be weighing that weakness.

GEOFF BENNETT: What's the path forward, or is# there a path forward now for the opposition?## And what does all of this mean for the people# of Venezuela, who are desperate for change?

RICARDO ZUNIGA: There is certainly a path forward.

I think that everyone in Venezuela knows# that Edmundo Gonzalez won this .. that there is massive domestic# support for change in Venezuela,## and as there should be.

Almost eight million# Venezuelans have left the country in recent years.

And so now I think there's going to# be an increasing demand for change,## not a decreasing demand.

There is a sense# that the 2018 election, which was won under## very questionable terms by Maduro, is -- that's# not the way forward.

I think that the pressure## for change is only going to grow.

And there# are different institutions in Venezuela, like## the armed forces, that are going to have to make# some difficult decisions about where they stand.

GEOFF BENNETT: Ricardo Zuniga, thanks so much# for your insights this evening.

We appreciate it.

RICARDO ZUNIGA: Thank you very much.