- Mélanie Joly also condemned the recent arrests of people linked to the opposition by government authorities | Main photo: EFE
Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said the results of the presidential election that gave Nicolás Maduro the victory “do not reflect the will of the Venezuelan people” and asked the electoral body to publish detailed figures from the voting tables.
“We reiterate our call to the Venezuelan authorities to ensure transparency and publish detailed results from all polling stations,” the statement said. statement published on August 4 on the organization’s website.
The official also condemned what she believes constitute human rights violations committed by Venezuelan state officials, and demanded that those arrested after the presidential elections be released.
“Canada calls for the immediate release of those arbitrarily arrested, imprisoned or detained. Citizens must not be subject to repression or reprisals for exercising their democratic rights,” Joly added in the press release.
The Canadian foreign minister congratulated the people of Venezuela for their “commitment to restoring democracy” through the right to vote, but regretted that the country’s institutions “have not respected this impressive civic commitment” by not publishing the voting records.
“We congratulate Venezuelans for actively participating in the electoral process, including as voters, polling personnel, party witnesses and citizen observers,” he added.
Joly said he was in favour of a negotiated solution in Venezuela that would involve all political sectors in the country, so that “the will” of the citizens would be respected and a “peaceful transition” process would be established.
“We stand ready to work with partners in the region to support this dialogue. Canada has been, and will continue to be, supportive of the people of Venezuela during these difficult times,” the official concluded in her statement.
Several countries such as the United States, Peru, Argentina, Uruguay and Costa Rica have recognized the victory of Edmundo González. So far, the Electoral Power has not released the detailed results of the elections, while the opposition created a portal web in which it published more than 80% of the minutes issued by the voting machines.
The position of the European Union
The High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, issued a statement on the post-election events in Venezuelain which he stressed that the presidential elections of July 28 “did not comply” with international standards.
“Despite its commitment, the National Electoral Council of Venezuela has not yet published the voting records of the polling stations. Without supporting evidence, the results published on 2 August by the CNE cannot be recognised,” Borrell said in the statement released by the Council of the European Union.
Borrell added that the copies of the electoral records, published by Edmundo González Urrutia’s campaign command, indicate that he obtained the majority of the votes.
He added that the data shared by the opposition was reviewed by several independent organizations to certify its veracity.
The European Union insisted on the demand for an independent verification of the electoral records, both those of the opposition and those not yet published by the CNE, which should be carried out if possible by an entity with an international reputation.
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2024-08-05 19:48:58
