US acknowledges that Edmundo González “won” in Venezuela and calls for “a peaceful transition”

The United States government acknowledged Thursday night that opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia “won” the presidential election in Venezuela and called on the South American country’s parties to begin dialogue for “a respectful and peaceful transition.”

The Secretary of State, Antony Blinken said in a statement that there is “overwhelming evidence” that the opposition candidate triumphed and President Nicolás Maduro was defeated.

“Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, more importantly, to the Venezuelan people, that Edmundo González Urrutia won a majority of the vote in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election,” Blinken said.

“We have consulted widely with partners and allies around the world, and while countries have taken different approaches to respond, none have concluded that Nicolás Maduro received the most votes in this election,” he said.

He also rejected Maduro’s “baseless” accusations against opposition leaders and considers the threats against González Urrutia and opposition leader María Corina Machado to be an “anti-democratic attempt” to repress political participation and retain power.

“The security of leaders and members of the democratic opposition must be protected,” he said.

He also called for the immediate release of those who have peacefully demonstrated to demand transparency in the election results.

On the other hand, the United States said it “congratulates” González Urrutia for a “successful” campaign and considers that it is time for the Venezuelan parties “to begin discussions for a respectful and peaceful transition in accordance with Venezuelan laws and the wishes of the Venezuelan people,” added the publication of the head of U.S. diplomacy.

“We fully support the process of restoring democratic norms in Venezuela and are ready to consider ways to strengthen it together with our international partners,” the US official said.

Official result, “without evidence” or credibility

The United States welcomed the fact that at least 12 million Venezuelans participated peacefully in the presidential election “despite significant challenges.”

“Regrettably, the processing of those votes and the announcement of the results by the Maduro-controlled National Electoral Council were deeply flawed, producing an announced result that does not represent the will of the Venezuelan people,” Blinken warned.

The top U.S. official in international affairs considered that the CNE’s proclamation of Maduro was “rapid” and “without evidence” to support it. He also criticized the fact that the electoral power has not yet published the disaggregated results or disclosed any voting records, despite repeated calls from Venezuelans and the international community in that regard.

Citing the Carter Center observer mission report, Blinken said the CNE’s failure to provide detailed official results and the fact that “irregularities” were recorded throughout the election “have stripped the result announced by the CNE of all credibility.”

The US official stressed that the opposition has published more than 80% of the voting records it received directly from polling stations across the country, which reflect that “Edmundo González Urrutia received the majority of votes in this election by an insurmountable margin.”

Reactions

On Tuesday, Peru became the first government to recognize the opposition victory in Venezuela. President Nicolás Maduro accepted the CNE’s proclamation and denounced that a coup d’état was underway against him, in which the opposition coalition and international actors, including the United States, were allegedly involved.

The Venezuelan president appeared on Wednesday before the Electoral Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice, which is sympathetic to him, according to the opposition, to file a contentious appeal so that it is that instance that decides and verifies the election results.

Protests against the results announced by the CNE took place in dozens of places in Venezuela on Monday and Tuesday. According to the opposition, the government responded with a “cruel escalation” that has already left more than 1,000 people arrested, according to Maduro.

Human rights NGOs reported at least 16 deaths during these demonstrations, which they considered spontaneous.

For his part, Maduro published on Thursday what he identified as a memorandum of understanding between his government and the United States, known as “the Qatar agreement,” for September 2023, and expressed his willingness to resume dialogue.

“I have always been in dialogue. If the United States government is willing to respect sovereignty and stop threatening Venezuela, we can resume dialogue, but based on a single point: Qatar’s compliance. This is the record of that negotiation,” he posted on his social media.

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