Edmundo González received local support; More countries recognize him as the president-elect of Venezuela

2024-08-03 02:33:02

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In a notable attempt to broker a diplomatic solution, Five Latin American countries have expressed their support for Edmundo González Urrutia as the rightful president of Venezuelain contrast to the announcement of Nicolás Maduro as the winner of the recent presidential elections.

This alignment occurs as a chain reaction, in a short period of time and shows a growing disagreement with the official results presented by the Venezuelan government.

Peru took the first step on Tuesday by calling González Urrutia the “rightful president of Venezuela,” challenging the government’s announcement that Maduro was re-elected for a third term. The Peruvian decision was based on allegations of electoral fraud and unfairness in the process.

The United States, through Secretary of State Antony Blinken, supported González Urrutia, indicated “strong evidence” that confirms his victory in the elections July 28. The opposition, led by María Corina Machado, has released copies of the electoral records that, according to them, show the victory of González Urrutia.

For its part, Argentina joined on Tuesday to the countries that recognize González Urrutia as the new president, with Foreign Minister Diana Mondino saying that the election evidence is clear. Uruguay took a similar position, citing “strong evidence” that González Urrutia won the election, while President Luis Lacalle Pou condemned Maduro’s government as a “dictatorship.”

With the same phrase that Blinken used, the Uruguayan government recognized the victory of opposition “based on the strong evidence”, since “it is clear” that received the majority of votes.

Ecuador, under the president of Daniel Noboa, also ruled in favor of González Urrutia, expressing respect for the will of the Venezuelan people and rejecting “obvious manipulation of the results.” Costa Rica joined the regional consensus, calling González Urrutia the “undisputed winner” and criticizing Maduro’s announcement.

Recently, this Central American country also joined the support of the opposition. “González Urrutia, the 74-year-old career diplomat, is the undisputed winner,” says Costa Rica. The country was among the first to “classify” Maduro’s “fraudulent” declaration.

And now, Panama too, in a recent move, aligns itself with the recognition by González Urrutia. The president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, expressed respect for the popular will as a pillar of democracy.

These diplomatic decisions, in a context of growing tension, are aimed at forcing the government to reveal the election records. Meanwhile, Venezuela suspended flights to and from Panama in response to allegations of lack of transparency in the election process.