The European Union (EU) and 22 countries, including Guatemala, called on Friday, August 16, for an “impartial verification” of the results of the Venezuelan presidential elections, widely questioned after the proclamation of Nicolás Maduro amid allegations of fraud.
“We call for the immediate publication of all original minutes and the impartial, independent verification of these results, preferably by an international entity, to ensure respect for the will of the Venezuelan people as expressed at the ballot box,” said a joint statement by the 22 countries and the EU as a bloc.
The document, read by Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez at the end of Luis Abinader’s swearing-in as president for a second term, is signed by Argentina, Canada, Chile, the Czech Republic, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Spain, the United States, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Italy, Morocco, the Netherlands, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, the United Kingdom, Suriname, Portugal, Uruguay and the European Union.
Several of these countries had already called for the publication of the minutes by the electoral authority, which alleges a hack of the system and which also proclaimed Maduro as re-elected president with 52% of the votes.
The opposition denounced fraud and claimed victory for its candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, representative of the disqualified María Corina Machado, who claims to have 80% of the votes to prove it.
Amid the accusations, Maduro asked the Supreme Court of Justice (TJS), accused of serving the government, to “certify” the election in a process that academics and experts consider inappropriate.
Following the vote, protests erupted across the country, leaving 25 dead, nearly 200 injured and more than 2,400 arrested.
The signatories also made an “urgent” call to the Venezuelan authorities to put an end “to the violence” and to release “all those who have been detained, including representatives of the opposition.”
They also asked for safe-conduct passes to be issued to allow Machado’s six collaborators who are taking refuge in the Argentine embassy to leave “safely”, following accusations of “conspiracy” by the authorities.
“The moment demands a broad, inclusive and good faith dialogue to facilitate a political agreement that fosters national reconciliation, peace, public security and democracy in Venezuela. We are committed to supporting all efforts in this regard, always advocating for a genuinely Venezuelan solution,” they said.
#Twenty #countries #including #Guatemala #call #impartial #verification #elections #Venezuela
