By Kanishka Singh and Matt Spetalnick
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – America on Thursday acknowledged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s opponent and opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez because the winner of Venezuela’s disputed presidential election, rejecting Maduro’s declare 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,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated in a press release on Thursday.
The announcement from Washington didn’t transcend congratulating him for a “successful campaign,” the closest the U.S. has come since Sunday’s contested election to recognizing Gonzalez because the OPEC nation’s new chief.
The dispute over the presidential election outcomes has sparked protests in Venezuela. Venezuela’s electoral council proclaimed Maduro, who has been in energy since 2013, the winner of the July 28 election with 51% of the vote.
However the nation’s opposition says its tally of about 90% of the votes exhibits that Gonzalez acquired greater than double the help of the incumbent president, according to impartial polling performed earlier than the competition.
The opposition has launched detailed tallies on a public web site, whereas the federal government has to date not shared any info past a nationwide whole of votes for every candidate.
The assertion from Blinken on Thursday stopped in need of threatening new sanctions on Venezuela however he hinted at doable “punitive action.” Reuters reported on Tuesday that Washington was contemplating contemporary 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 stated.
Blinken additionally urged that opposition leaders be protected and saved secure.
“Law enforcement and security forces should not become an instrument of political violence used against citizens exercising their democratic rights,” he stated.
The presidents of Brazil, Mexico and Colombia known as for Venezuela to launch detailed voting tallies on Thursday amid the dispute over presidential election outcomes.
