Blinken: ‘Overwhelming evidence’ González won presidential election in Venezuela
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued his strongest statement yet on the outcome of Sunday’s presidential elections in Venezuela, stating Thursday night that Edmundo González had been proven the winner despite Venezuela’s longtime strongman, Nicolás Maduro, claiming victory.
“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.
Polling receipts from over 80% of Venezuela’s precincts — collected directly from the democratic opposition — showed that González’s ballot lead was “insurmountable,” Blinken said.
“We congratulate Edmundo González Urrutia on his successful campaign,” he added. “Now is the time for the Venezuelan parties to begin discussions on a respectful, peaceful transition in accordance with Venezuelan electoral law and the wishes of the Venezuelan people.”
Blinken’s comments come one evening after Brian Nichols, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, told the Organization of American States there was “irrefutable evidence” that González had won by millions of votes. Nichols said that nations that fail to recognize Gonzalez as the victor “are only enabling Maduro and his representatives to attempt a massive fraud and disregard for the rule of law and democratic principles.”
Blinken said that the Maduro-controlled Venezuelan National Electoral Council’s decision to call the election for Maduro “came with no supporting evidence,” noting that the Maduro-controlled body has yet to publish data supporting its announcement. He condemned threats in Venezuela to arrest opposition leaders, including María Corina Machado, who wrote in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday that she was in hiding and feared for her life.
Machado called for protests in every city in Venezuela on Saturday.
Blinken’s statement was issued shortly after the foreign ministers of the G7, an informal grouping of the world’s largest advanced economies, called on Maduro’s government to release the detailed results of the election. The ministers called for “maximum restraint” in the country, where Maduro has sought to quell dissent.
So far, the regime has announced that it has detained more than 1,000 people. Human rights organizations have reported that at least 11 people have died and dozens have been injured. El Foro Penal, a non-governmental organization that watches over the rights of political prisoners, reported earlier on Wednesday that it has been able to independently confirm that at least 672 people have been arrested.
