US declares Maduro rival Gonzalez winner of Venezuelan presidential election – Washington Examiner

Emily HallasAugust 1, 2024

The U.S. government has officially recognized Edmundo⁢ Gonzalez⁢ as the winner of Venezuela’s presidential election, a position announced ⁣by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. This announcement‍ comes in response to the Venezuelan National Electoral ⁢Council’s (CNE)‍ declaration ‍that incumbent President‍ Nicolas ‌Maduro was the‌ victor, which ‍Blinken⁢ has ⁢dismissed as unfounded and lacking ‍evidence. He emphasized that the CNE has failed to ‌provide necessary electoral data, including vote tallies and detailed results, despite demands from both Venezuelans and the ⁤international community. Blinken’s statement highlights support for the democratic opposition and calls for the Venezuelan people’s votes to be acknowledged.

US declares Maduro rival Gonzalez winner of Venezuelan presidential election

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Thursday that the U.S. government is recognizing Edmundo Gonzalez as the winner of Venezuela‘s presidential election over incumbent Nicolas Maduro.

In a statement on the U.S. government’s position on the Latin American country’s presidential results, Blinken said Venzueala’s National Electoral Council decision to declare Maduro the victor on Sunday was wrong.

President Nicolas Maduro gestures during a news conference at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, three days after his disputed reelection. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

“The CNE’s rapid declaration of Nicolas Maduro as the winner of the presidential election came with no supporting evidence. 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,” Blinken noted.

Electoral data overwhelmingly demonstrate the will of the Venezuelan people: democratic opposition candidate @EdmundoGU won the most votes in Sunday’s election. Venezuelans have voted, and their votes must count.

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) August 2, 2024

Venezuelan presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia is led out at the end of a campaign rally, in Guatire, Venezuela, Friday, May 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

The secretary of state said Gonzalez was the rightful winner of the Venezuelan presidential election.

“The democratic opposition has published more than 80 percent of the tally sheets received directly from polling stations throughout Venezuela,” Blinken said. “Those tally sheets indicate that Edmundo González Urrutia received the most votes in this election by an insurmountable margin. Independent observers have corroborated these facts, and this outcome was also supported by election day exit polls and quick counts.”

Maduro rose to power in 2013 and has been accused by the United States and other nations of being corrupt and authoritarian. The country has dealt with economic troubles and the exodus of 7.7 million residents since 2014, according to the Associated Press.