The US clarifies that it has not recognized Edmundo González as president and calls for a transition

The U.S. said it maintains contact with Brazil, Mexico and Colombia / Photo: Courtesy

The United States clarified on Monday that, although it has recognized the standard-bearer of the largest opposition coalition in Venezuela, Edmundo González Urrutia, as the winner of the elections, it still does not recognize him as president of the country, and called on Chavismo and the opposition to negotiate a democratic transition.

“We are not at that point yet (of recognizing him as president). We are in close contact with our partners in the region, especially Brazil, Mexico and Colombia, to find a way forward,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

Miller also urged the government and the opposition to “begin discussions for a peaceful transition back to democracy.”

The spokesman reiterated the call for the National Electoral Council of Venezuela (CNE), which declared the victory of President Nicolás Maduro in the elections of July 28 without providing any evidence, to publish the voting records with the results at once.

Miller stressed that it has been a week since the election and that any evidence presented by the CNE will require “close scrutiny” due to the “potential for alteration and manipulation after that period of time.”

On August 1, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged Edmundo González’s electoral victory, confirming the voting records obtained by the majority opposition platform, which would give an overwhelming victory to its candidate.

The presidents of the region’s major leftist powers, Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; Colombia’s Gustavo Petro; and Mexico’s Andrés Manuel López Obrador, have been more cautious and in a joint statement asked the CNE to make the minutes public and to verify the results.

Washington / EFE