Putin congratulates Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro for his victory

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday congratulated Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro for his victory in the presidential election held the previous day.

"Russian-Venezuelan relations are of a strategic partnership nature. I am confident that your activities as head of state will continue to contribute to their progressive development in all areas," Putin said in a letter published by the Kremlin.

"Remember that you are always a welcome guest on Russian soil. I wish you success, as well as good health and well-being," he added.

Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner in Venezuela’s presidential election on Sunday, even as his opponents were preparing to dispute the results, setting up a high-stakes showdown that will determine whether the South American nation transitions away from one-party rule.

"I am Nicolás Maduro Moro, re-elected president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Thanks for defending our democracy, our laws and our people," Maduro said while addressing a crowd in Caracas.

Shortly after midnight, the National Electoral Council said Maduro secured 51% of the vote, overcoming the main opposition candidate, Edmundo González, who garnered 44%.

But the electoral authority, which is controlled by Maduro loyalists, didn’t immediately release the tallies from each of the 30,000 polling booths nationwide, hampering the opposition’s ability to challenge the results after claiming it had data for only 30% of the ballot boxes.

"We want to tell all Venezuelans and the whole world that Venezuela has a new elected president and it is Edmundo González," opposition member María Corina Machado told the media after the announcement.