On Thursday night the United States recognized Venezuela’s opposition presidential candidate, Edmundo González, as the winner of the country’s disputed presidential election.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the announcement. It comes despite a claim by the country’s authoritarian president, Nicolás Maduro, and by the government-controlled electoral body that Maduro won the vote.
Maduro has yet to produce clear proof of the win, and election officials have failed to provide a vote count.
‘We have receipts from more than 80% of voting machines that indicate that he won the election by an insurmountable margin’, said the Gonzalez’s campaign. In a statement, Blinken, said that ‘Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo González Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela’s” presidential election Sunday’.
He further added, ‘We congratulate Edmundo González Urrutia on his successful campaign and now is the time for the Venezuelan parties to start discussions on a respectful, peaceful transition in accordance with Venezuelan electoral law’.
The announcement can possibly make Maduro anger, who has been in power since 2013, cracking down on protests and tilting elections in his favor. The candidacy of González, who is backed by a popular opposition leader, María Corina Machado, represented the most electoral threat to Maduro’s power since he took office.
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