The United States has found no evidence that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro received the most votes in last month’s presidential election, and the Biden administration will certify opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzales as the winner, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Thursday.
In a statement released by the State Department, Secretary of State Blinken, 62, sharply criticized the Maduro-controlled National Electoral Commission’s (CNE) vote tally and its determination that the incumbent president won the July 28 election with 51 percent of the vote, calling it “deeply flawed” and not representing “the will of the Venezuelan people.”
“The CNE hastily declared Nicolás Maduro the winner of the presidential election without any evidence to support its claim,” the secretary of state wrote, noting that despite repeated requests from the Venezuelan people and the international community, electoral bodies “have not provided any disaggregated data or vote count sheets.”
“Meanwhile, the democratic opposition has released more than 80 percent of the vote tallies it received directly from polling stations across Venezuela,” Blinken said. “The tallies show that Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia received the most votes in this election by an overwhelming margin.”
Biden administration officials said that after consulting with U.S. allies and partners about Venezuela’s election results, they found that “no country has concluded that Nicolas Maduro received the most votes in this election.”
“Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States, and most importantly, to the Venezuelan people, that Edmundo González Urrutia received the most votes in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election,” Blinken asserted.
The diplomat condemned Maduro’s “baseless accusations against opposition leaders” and threats to arrest political opponents.
“I congratulate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia on his successful campaign,” Blinken continued, calling for the start of “respectful and peaceful transition discussions.”
Maduro, 61, is a former bus driver and foreign minister who has been Venezuela’s president since 2013.
The United States rejected the socialist leader’s reelection in 2018 and the Trump administration imposed sanctions on the country over alleged voter fraud.
It is unclear whether the Biden administration would pursue new sanctions against Maduro’s regime if he refuses to hand over power.
