Thousands of Venezuelan people have taken to the streets to protest the election results announced by the country’s electoral authority.
Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez said on July 29 that his coalition has enough evidence to prove that he defeated incumbent President Nicolas Maduro in the country’s disputed presidential election.
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Mr. Maduro said on Monday that the country’s electoral system had been targeted by a failed “massive hack” from a foreign actor, but he did not provide any details to support this claim.
He described his reelection as a triumph of peace and said he would sign a decree to hold a “great national dialogue.” Mr. Maduro first took office in 2013 after Mr. Chavez died from cancer.
Other Countries Cast Doubts
Several nations have expressed doubts about the legitimacy of Venezuela’s election results. The European Union’s high representative Josep Borrell said the election results have not been verified.
Mr. Borrell urged the Venezuelan Electoral Council to exercise “maximum transparency” in the process of results tabulation, including granting immediate access to the voting records from each polling station.
“Credible reports from domestic and international observers indicate that the elections were marred by numerous flaws and irregularities,” Mr. Borrell said in a statement.
“Obstacles to the participation of opposition candidates, deficiencies in the voter registry, and imbalanced media access contributed to unequal electoral conditions.”
Canada, along with 11 Latin American countries, issued a joint statement on Venezuela, saying they will not recognize the National Constituent Assembly or the laws it adopts because of its “illegitimacy.”
These countries include Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and Peru.
U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken said the United States has “serious concerns” that the announced election result does not reflect the will of the people.
“It’s critical that every vote is counted fairly and transparently, that election officials immediately share information with the opposition and electoral observers without delay, and that the electoral authorities publish detailed tabulation of votes,” Mr. Blinken said at a press conference in Tokyo.
Mr. Blinken said the international community will be watching the situation in Venezuela “very closely” and will “respond accordingly.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
