Washington’s Winners!
International Desk, Aug 1 (EFE).-
Washington recognized opposition candidate Edmundo González as the winner of Venezuela’s presidential election based on “overwhelming evidence,” United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Thursday.
Venezuela’s National Electoral Council had declared President Nicolás Maduro the victor with 51.2% of the vote on Sunday night, when only 80% of the ballots had been counted, and never released the final tally or disaggregated data to support it.
Meanwhile, the main opposition coalition, the United Democratic Platform (Plataforma Unitaria Democrática, PUD), launched a website with independently obtained election results from 80% of the polling stations, showing that its candidate, González, won nearly 70% of the vote to Maduro’s roughly 30%.
Blinken said these results were “corroborated” by “independent observers,” “election day exit polls,” and “quick counts.”
“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,” Blinken said in a statement.
The US called on the parties involved in the Venezuelan crisis to work on a transition process that respects the wishes of the electoral results and said it would support the “re-establishing democratic norms” in Venezuela.
Earlier in the week, Washington had requested the Venezuelan government publish results per table to pronounce itself.
“In the days since the election, we have consulted widely with partners and allies around the world, and while countries have taken different approaches in responding, none have concluded that Nicolás Maduro received the most votes this election,” concluded the head of US diplomacy.
Supreme Court summons presidential candidates
The Electoral Chamber of Venezuela’s Supreme Court of Justice on Thursday summoned the 10 candidates who participated in the presidential election as part of an investigation requested by Maduro, who must also attend the summons.
On Wednesday, the head of state asked the court to “clarify everything that needs to be clarified” about the elections.
The president of the Electoral Chamber, Caryslia Rodríguez – who has openly declared herself a militant of the Government party and an enthusiastic supporter of Chavismo -, declared the appeal “competent” and announced the opening of a “process of investigation and verification to provide full certification of the official results.”
As a result, the Supreme Court summoned Javier Bertucci, Benjamín Rausseo, Daniel Ceballos, Claudio Fermín, Antonio Ecarri, Luis Eduardo Martínez, José Brito, Enrique Márquez, González and Maduro on Friday afternoon.
“I am willing to be summoned, questioned (…) and investigated by the (Chavista-controlled) Electoral Chamber as the winning presidential candidate of Sunday’s elections and as head of state,” Maduro declared.
Maduro has accused the PUD of carrying out the “most criminal attempt to seize power” that “has been seen to date” and complained of a “global plot against Venezuela” to remove him from the presidency he assumed in 2013 after the death of Hugo Chávez (who had been in power since 1999). EFE
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