US recognizes Maduro’s rival Urrutia as poll winner
WASHINGTON – The United States on Thursday recognized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s opponent and opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the winner of Venezuela’s disputed presidential election, rejecting Maduro’s claim of victory.
“Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Thursday.
The announcement from Washington did not go beyond congratulating him for a “successful campaign,” the closest the US has come since Sunday’s contested election to recognizing Gonzalez as the OPEC nation’s new leader.
The dispute over the presidential election results has sparked protests in Venezuela. Venezuela’s electoral council proclaimed Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, the winner of the July 28 election with 51 percent of the vote.
Opposition tally
But the country’s opposition says its tally of about 90 percent of the votes shows that Gonzalez received more than double the support of the incumbent president, in line with independent polling conducted before the contest.
The opposition has released detailed tallies on a public website, while the government has so far not shared any information beyond a national total of votes for each candidate.
The statement from Blinken on Thursday stopped short of threatening new sanctions on Venezuela but he hinted at possible “punitive action.” Reuters reported on Tuesday that Washington was considering fresh sanctions following the disputed election.
“We fully support the process of re-establishing democratic norms in Venezuela and stand ready to consider ways to bolster it jointly with our international partners,” Blinken said.
Call for protection
Blinken also urged that opposition leaders be protected and kept safe.
“Law enforcement and security forces should not become an instrument of political violence used against citizens exercising their democratic rights,” he said.
The presidents of Brazil, Mexico and Colombia called for Venezuela to release detailed voting tallies on Thursday amid the dispute over presidential election results.
Call for protests
Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado called Thursday for protests “in every city” in the nation on Saturday to denounce the disputed reelection of Maduro.
“We must remain firm, organized and mobilized with the pride of having achieved a historic victory on July 28, and the awareness that to claim victory we will also go all the way,” Machado said on social media.
Earlier Thursday, she wrote in the Wall Street Journal that she was in hiding and “fearing for my life” after Maduro’s contested victory, which led to hundreds of arrests following deadly protests this week.
Machado reiterated her claim that Urrutia was the rightful winner, saying he won “67 percent to 30 percent” based on tallies obtained from most of the nation’s polling stations.
“You have blood on your hands,” Maduro said Wednesday, referring to Gonzalez Urrutia and Machado. “They should be behind bars.”
Barred from running
Machado — who was barred from running in the election by institutions loyal to Maduro — said most opposition figures were now in hiding.
“I could be captured as I write these words,” Machado wrote, calling for “those who reject authoritarianism and support democracy to join the Venezuelan people in our noble cause.”
In a message to his supporters, Gonzalez Urrutia wrote on X: “I will never leave you alone, and I will always defend your will!”
At least 20 people have died in protests that erupted after the election, according to Machado, while more than 1,000 have been jailed.
Venezuela’s supreme court has summoned all presidential candidates to a hearing on Friday afternoon following Maduro’s request that it initiate a process to investigate and certify the election result.
