29 de julio 2024
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The dictatorships of Nicaragua, Cuba, China, Russia, and Iran, close to Nicolas Maduro’s regime, have congratulated the Venezuelan leader for the electoral victory he claimed for himself, while European leaders and other Western countries have rejected the results and demanded “transparency” in the vote count.
“I would like to reiterate the willingness to continue our constructive work on the current bilateral and international agenda. Remember that you are always welcome on Russian soil,” said Vladimir Putin in congratulating Maduro.
Similarly, China congratulated the South American country on a “successful celebration” of elections and the current president, Nicolás Maduro, on his re-election, after the National Electoral Council (CNE) announced his victory in the elections held this Sunday.
Like Russia, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian reminded that China and Venezuela are “good friends and partners who support each other.”
In a letter released shortly after the first bulletin from the Electoral Authority, Nicaraguan dictator Daniel Ortega and his wife/VP Rosario Murillo expressed: “Dear comrade and brother Nicolas: In full revolutionary and evolutionary brotherhood, from this blessed and always free Nicaragua, our constant embrace, greeting the great victory that this heroic people deliver to the eternal commander (Hugo Chavez) on his birthday.”
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel also expressed his “warm congratulations” to Maduro, calling the electoral victory a “triumph of dignity.”
“We congratulate the people and government of Venezuela for the successful celebration of the presidential elections in this country, as well as the elected president of the Venezuelan people,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Naser Kananí on his social network.
Numerous Countries Reject Election Results
However, there were other reactions that doubted Maduro’s victory. Argentina, Chile, Peru, Guatemala, Costa Rica and the United States did not recognize Maduro’s re-election for a new presidential term proclaimed Sunday night by the National Electoral Council (CNE), with 51.2% of the votes for the current ruler versus 44.2% for the opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.
The governments of these countries questioned the transparency and legitimacy of the electoral process, calling it “fraudulent” and stating that it “does not reflect the will” of the Venezuelan people.
From Tokyo, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed his “serious concern” about the validity of the results and questioned the legitimacy of the process and the representation of the “will” of the voters.
In a press appearance in Tokyo, alongside his counterparts from the Quad alliance (that includes the US, Japan, Australia, and India), Blinken stated: “We have serious concerns that the announced results do not reflect the will of the votes or the Venezuelan people.”
Argentine President Javier Milei stated that his country “will not recognize another fraud” in Venezuela and argued that the citizens of that country “chose to end the communist dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro.”
Through his social media, Milei posted: “The data announce a landslide victory for the opposition, and the world awaits recognition of [Maduro’s] defeat after years of socialism, misery, decay, and death.”
Boric: “The Results Are Hard to Believe”
Similarly, Chilean President Gabriel Boric spoke out against the results, calling them “hard to believe,” and stated that his country would not recognize “any result that is not verifiable.”
On his social media, Boric wrote: “The Maduro regime must understand that the results they publish are hard to believe. The international community and especially the Venezuelan people, including the millions of Venezuelans in exile, demand total transparency of the voting tabulation records and the process, and that international observers not compromised with the Government report on the veracity of the results.”
He repeated: “From Chile, we will not recognize any result that is not verifiable.”
In Lima, Peruvian Foreign Minister Javier Gonzalez-Olaechea expressed a firm condemnation of the electoral results in Venezuela.
Minutes after the CNE announcement, Gonzalez-Olaechea declared: “I condemn all the accumulation of irregularities with fraudulent intent by the Venezuelan government. Peru will not accept the violation of the popular will of the Venezuelan people.”
Meanwhile, Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles issued a strong and clear statement, calling Maduro’s proclamation “fraudulent.”
In an official statement, Chaves Robles said: “The Government of Costa Rica categorically repudiates the proclamation of Nicolas Maduro as president of Venezuela, which we consider fraudulent.”
Demanding Vote Counting
Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo expressed significant doubts about the Venezuelan election results.
In a message broadcast through his official channels, Arevalo stated: “Venezuela deserves transparent, accurate results that adhere to the will of its people.”
He also emphasized the importance of international observation, saying: “We receive with many doubts the results announced by the CNE. Therefore, the reports of the electoral observation missions are essential, which today more than ever must defend the Venezuelans’ vote.”
Meanwhile, the High Representative of the European Union’s Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, stated that “it is vital to ensure full transparency of the electoral process, including the detailed vote count and access to the voting records from the polling stations.”
Spain’s Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, said it is also essential to respect the democratic will of Venezuela by “presenting the records of all polling stations to guarantee fully verifiable results.”
Italian Vice President Antonio Tajani asked on his social media accounts if the result announcing Maduro’s victory really reflects the will of the people? “I have many doubts about the conduct of the elections in Venezuela. We request verifiable results and access to the records.
This article was published in Spanish in Confidencial and translated by Havana Times. To get the most relevant news from our English coverage delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to The Dispatch.
