US declared Edmundo González “president-elect” of Venezuela as Maduro faces fraud accusations and opposition strengthens
The United States government recognized Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo González as the South American country’s “president-elect,” months after President Nicolás Maduro claimed to have won the disputed July elections.
In a post on X, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken demanded “respect for the will” of Venezuelan voters.
US President Joe Biden’s administration had previously claimed that González had obtained the most votes in the disputed July 28 elections, but did not recognize him as president-elect.
Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, which is made up of Maduro supporters, declared Maduro the winner of the elections hours after the polls closed. Unlike previous presidential elections, election officials did not provide detailed vote counts.
But the opposition coalition collected ballots from 80% of the country’s electronic voting machines and put them online. González and opposition leader María Corina Machado said voting records show the former diplomat won the election with twice as many votes as Maduro.
“We deeply appreciate the recognition of the sovereign will of all Venezuelans,” González wrote in a post on X shortly after Blinken’s statement on Tuesday. “This gesture honors our people’s desire for change and the civic feat we accomplished together on July 28.”
González left Venezuela to go into exile in Spain after an arrest warrant was issued in connection with an investigation into the publication of the ballots.
Earlier this week, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who maintains friendly relations with Maduro, reversed his support for the July elections, calling the vote a “mistake”.
Petro was speaking in an interview with Brazilian news channel Globo News, which published excerpts online that Petro’s office shared on social media Tuesday.
Petro told the news channel on Monday while visiting Brazil for the G20 summit that he was initially in favor of elections in Venezuela, but that he later decided that the vote was not “free”.
“I think the elections were a mistake,” Petro said.
Venezuela’s next presidential term begins on January 10, 2025.
With information from EuroNews
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2024/11/20/eua-reconhecem-opositor-como-presidente-da-venezuela/
