MADRID, Spain.- This Sunday, the European Union (EU) issued a statement The EU has questioned the transparency of the presidential elections held in Venezuela on 28 July. The EU considers that, without evidence to support the results published on 2 August by the National Electoral Council (CNE), these cannot be recognised. The EU is therefore calling for a “new independent verification of the electoral records”.
The EU document recalls that “reports from international election observation missions clearly state that presidential election did not comply with international standards of electoral integrity.” It also notes that “copies of the electoral records published by the opposition, and reviewed by several independent organizations, indicate that Edmundo González Urrutia appears to have won the presidential election by a substantial majority.” However, the EU does not categorically recognize González Urrutia as president, unlike other governmentsincluding that of the United States.
The EU also urges Venezuela to end arbitrary detentionsrepression and violence against the opposition and civil society. “The Venezuelan authorities, including the security forces, must fully respect human rights, including freedom of expression and assembly,” the EU said.
The popular protests Protests against electoral fraud, repressed by the Chavista armed forces and spread across several cities in the country, have left at least twenty dead, hundreds injured and thousands arrested.
In response to the EU’s statements, Nicolás Maduro launched strong criticism, calling the community bloc and its High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, a “disgrace.” “The European Union is bringing up its old story, the same European Union that recognized (Juan) Guaidó. The European Union is a disgrace, Mr. Borrell is a disgrace, he is a disgrace who led Ukraine to war and now washes his hands,” said the Venezuelan dictator.
The National Electoral Council, which is close to Maduro’s regime, offered a second and final report on the elections last Friday, confirming Maduro’s victory and re-election with 51.95% of the votes. In contrast, opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia obtained 43.18% of the votes, with 96.87% of the votes counted. However, these votes have not yet been published.
The Unitary Platform, which brings together opposition forces, has denounced electoral fraud and claims to have data showing that González Urrutia is the real winner with more than seven million votes. In this regard, six countries, including the United States, have recognized González Urrutia as the elected president of Venezuela. In addition, dozens of other nations have requested the CNE to publish the detailed minutes to verify the authenticity of the results.
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