US Secretary of State releases strong statement on Venezuelan presidential election

The US Department of State recognised Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s opponent and opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as the victor in the recently concluded presidential election, rejecting the incumbent leader’s claim of victory.

The dispute over the July 28 polls has triggered violent protests across Venezuela. The National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed Maduro as the victor, securing 51% of the total votes cast. But the opposition strongly counters the results.

Venezuelans are furious over an economic collapse during Maduro’s 11-year term in office and a migration crisis that has seen 8 million citizens flee abroad. Besides the country’s opposition, several global leaders have also asked for transparency in election results.

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US questions credibility of election outcome announced

Taking to X on Thursday, US Secretary of State Blinken released a strong statement on the assessment of results of Venezuela’s presidential election. “The US applauds the Venezuelan people for their participation … despite significant challenges.”

More than 12 million people are estimated to have exercised their right to vote. “Unfortunately, the processing of those votes and the announcement of results by the Maduro-controlled National Electoral Council (CNE) were deeply flawed,” the statement read.

“The CNE still has not published disaggregated data or any of the vote tally sheets, despite repeated calls from Venezuelans and the international community to do so,” the top US diplomat noted, questioning the credibility of the announced outcome.

US stresses need to ensure safety of opposition leaders

“The democratic opposition has published more than 80% of the tally sheets received directly from polling stations throughout Venezuela. Those tally sheets indicate that Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia received the most votes in this election by an insurmountable margin.”

It is clear to the US and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that [Gonzalez] received the most votes in the recent polls, according to the statement. Blinken congratulated the opposition candidate on his successful campaign, calling for a peaceful transition.

“In addition, the US rejects Maduro’s unsubstantiated allegations against opposition leaders. Maduro and his representatives’ threats to arrest opposition leaders … are an undemocratic attempt to repress political participation,” the US Secretary of State highlighted.