US recognizes opposition candidate as the winner of Venezuela election

The United States has recognized opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia as the winner of the election held last Sunday in Venezuela, and has called for the beginning of a transition process. After four days during which Washington has demanded that the government release the vote tally sheets that, according to the ruling party in Caracas, give victory to President Nicolás Maduro, State Secretary Antony Blinken has gone a step further. In a statement he declared 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 July 28 presidential election.”

These are the harshest statements to date from Washington regarding the Venezuelan election, which has been heavily criticized by various countries, NGOs and international organizations — from the Organization of American States (OAS) to the G7 and the Carter Center — due to the lack of transparency in providing evidence of the results.

Venezuela’s government-controlled National Electoral Council (CNE) declared Maduro the winner on Sunday, but the failure to publish precinct-level official results has sparked all kinds of criticism and suspicions about an electoral process that neither the European Union nor the OAS were able to oversee. The Carter Center, which was able to send 17 observers, has concluded that Sunday’s elections “cannot be considered democratic.” This lack of transparency has sparked serious street protests since Monday in the Andean country.

The opposition claims that it has at least 84% of the voting records straight from polling stations and that these award the victory to González Urrutia. These records, Blinken says, show that his advantage over Maduro is “insurmountable.” “We congratulate Edmundo González on his successful campaign,” he said in his statement. “The time has come for the parties to begin discussions on a peaceful and respectful transition in accordance with Venezuela’s electoral law and the will of the Venezuelan people.”

The Secretary of State’s statement comes a day after the Organization of American States held a special session to address the situation in Venezuela. There, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State For Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols also said that there is “overwhelming evidence” that the opposition leader won by millions of votes. He also urged other governments to recognize González Urrutia as the fair winner of the elections “Those that fail to do so are only enabling Maduro and his representatives to attempt a massive fraud and disregard for the rule of law and democratic principles.”

In his statement, Blinken also condemned the threats of arrest in Venezuela against opposition leaders, including María Corina Machado. The opposition leader, accused by Maduro of being a “criminal” and a “fascist,” denounced on Thursday in an article published in The Wall Street Journal that she has gone into hiding: “I am writing this from hiding, fearing for my life, my freedom.” Both she and González Urrutia appeared in public for the last time on Tuesday, at a mass demonstration with their supporters. They have not been seen since then.

“The United States rejects Maduro’s unsubstantiated allegations against opposition leaders. Maduro and his representatives’ threats to arrest opposition leaders, including Edmundo González and María Corina Machado, are an undemocratic attempt to repress political participation and retain power,” said Blinken in his statement.

Blinken’s remarks come shortly after the foreign ministers of the G7, the group that brings together some of the most advanced economies in the world, demanded that Maduro officially publish the vote tallies; this group also demanded “maximum restraint” in dealing with the opposition and the people participating in the protests.

It is estimated that nearly eight million Venezuelans have left the country in recent years. More than 800,000 Venezuelans have arrived in the United States since 2021, of which 114,695 arrived in the first half of this year.

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