The United States government issued a statement on Thursday formally recognizing Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia as the legitimate winner of last week’s presidential election, claiming that he beat incumbent socialist Nicolás Maduro by an “insurmountable margin.”
“The [National Electoral Council] rapid declaration of Nicolás Maduro as the winner of the presidential election came with no supporting evidence,” the US State Department. “The CNE still has not published disaggregated data or any of the vote tally sheets, despite repeated calls from Venezuelans and the international community to do so.”
🚨 BREAKING: The United States Department of State issues a statement recognizing Edmundo González Urrutia as the new President Elect of Venezuela and says “overwhelming evidence” shows he defeated Nicolás Maduro pic.twitter.com/vmRG8kwTKL
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“Meanwhile, the democratic opposition has published more than 80 percent of the tally sheets received directly from polling stations throughout Venezuela,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken continued. “Those tally sheets indicate that Edmundo González Urrutia received the most votes in this election by an insurmountable margin.”
“Independent observers have corroborated these facts, and this outcome was also supported by election day exit polls and quick counts,” he added. “In the days since the election, we have consulted widely with partners and allies around the world, and while countries have taken different approaches in responding, none have concluded that Nicolás Maduro received the most votes this election.”
President Maduro quickly responded with a demand for the United States to “keep its nose out of Venezuela!”
Ongoing protests demanding Maduro to vacate his office have led to hundreds of arrests and at least 17 deaths.
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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