called the election in favor of the accused’s opposition

[Coffee Break]

I read this expression, "called the election in favor of the accused’s opposition", but am finding it difficult to understand it. Could you please let me know what it means? Here is the excerpt:

According to the case summary, circumstances had developed very rapidly, during a relatively narrow time frame of four to five months, in the wake of a disputed election. The national electoral commission and outside observers called the election in favor of the accused’s opposition. The accused refused to cede power, despite the fact that there was also a constitutional limit of ten years for any presidency, a term the accused had already served. He then indulged in some creative accounting, nullifying the votes in districts where his opponent polled strongly, ordered the army to close the borders, and barred all foreign media.

- Katie Kitamura, Intimacies, Chapter 7

This is a novel published in 2021 in the United States of America. The protagonist is an interpreter working at the International Criminal Court at The Hague. Now she is reading a dossier about a case for which she is going to interpret.

In this part, I wonder what the underlined part means.
Would it mean that they judged (=called) that, in the election, the opposition forces won...?
Or that, they regarded (=called) the election in a manner favorable (=advantageous) to the opposition forces...? (Though these are just my guesses. )

 

[Tarheel]

They called the election - they announced the results
in favor of the accused's opposition - they declared that the opposition had won.

 

[Coffee Break]

@Tarheel,

Thank you very much for the explanation.
So "call" would have the following meaning:

call

Definition, Synonyms, Translations of call by The Free Dictionary

www.thefreedictionary.com

b. To declare in the capacity of an umpire or referee: call a runner out; call a penalty for holding.

And "in favor of" would have the following meaning:

in favor of

Definition of in favor of in the Idioms Dictionary by The Free Dictionary

idioms.thefreedictionary.com

2. On the side of someone or something, as of a legal ruling.Most analysts expect the lawsuit to be decided in favor of the plaintiff.

So that they declared that, in the election, the opposition has won.
A little confusing part to me is how "election" is the object of "call", but I guess it would be because they "called/regarded" the election as the victory of the opponent.


I truly appreciate your help.

 

[Tarheel]

Not exactly. They looked at the data, and based on that data they came to the conclusion that one candidate had won and the other had lost.