US recognizes Venezuela opposition’s Gonzalez Urrutia as ‘president-elect’
The United States said Tuesday it recognizes opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as “president-elect” of Venezuela, four months after a disputed election in which incumbent Nicolas Maduro claimed victory amid accusations of fraud.
“The Venezuelan people spoke resoundingly on July 28 and made (Gonzalez Urrutia) the president-elect,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote in a post on X. “Democracy demands respect for the will of the voters.”
The statement marked the first time the United States has referred to Gonzalez Urrutia as “president-elect,” though President Joe Biden had said the opposition party received more votes a few days after the July 28 election.
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Maduro claimed electoral victory, despite the Venezuelan government failing to release detailed polling data.
Gonzalez Urrutia has fled to Spain due to an outstanding arrest warrant, and opposition party leader Maria Corina Machado has gone into hiding as well.
Maduro’s disputed re-election has faced criticism from elsewhere around the globe, including the European Union, and led to massive protests in Venezuela, resulting in 28 deaths, almost 200 injured and some 2,400 protesters arrested, among whom 224 have ben released.
