By The Opinion
Aug 29, 2024, 5:59 PM EDT
Senior officials of the United States government called on the government of Nicolás Maduro to respect the will of the Venezuelan people, including Brian Nichols, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, who stressed that, One month after the presidential elections, where more than 12,000 Venezuelans voted, the electoral authorities have not fulfilled their commitments.
The US government considered this Thursday that the continued refusal of the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela to defend international and Venezuelan standards of transparency or Respecting the will of the Venezuelan people as expressed at the polls is an “unacceptable violation” of the country’s laws.
“Venezuelans voted, the results are clear and their will must be respected,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
It has been a month since 12 million Venezuelans voted in the presidential election, electoral authorities have failed to keep their own promises, and Maduro has unleashed deplorable levels of repression. Venezuelans continue to insist that the results be published and…
— Brian A. Nichols (@WHAAsstSecty) August 29, 2024
His statement, released one month after the July 28 elections, He also criticized the attempt by the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), “controlled by (Venezuelan President Nicolás) Maduroto silence the voices of voters by ratifying the CNE’s unfounded announcement of a Maduro victory.”
Miller stressed that the United States reiterates its call for respect for human rights and democratic norms in Venezuela, “the release of all political prisoners and an end to arbitrary arrests and other acts of repression against members of the democratic opposition, the media and civil society.”
In this month since Maduro faced Edmundo González Urrutia, according to his note, The Venezuelan president and his representatives have “falsely” claimed their own victory and have undertaken large-scale repression to maintain power.
The United States, Miller added, “applauds the courage and resilience of the millions of Venezuelans who voted and who continue to peacefully call on Maduro to recognize that Urrutia received the most votes.”
The Biden administration stressed that despite repeated calls from Venezuelans and the international community, the CNE, “controlled by Maduro, has failed to justify the announced results by presenting the original tally sheets, as it did after the 2013 and 2018 elections.”
For the United States, Maduro’s actions have “exacerbated” the crisis in that country and have left it “increasingly isolated from the international community”which since the elections has stressed the need for electoral transparency.
In the same vein, Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, stated that the EU considers that Nicolás Maduro lacks the democratic legitimacy necessary to be recognized as president-elect.
The EU Council’s decision is based on the absence of verifiable electoral records, a requirement that they have insisted on since the announcement of the results. However, Borrell indicated that they will no longer insist on this point, since they consider it too late to wait for such documentation.
*With information from EFE.
Continue reading:
• 3 possible scenarios in Venezuela and why the TSJ’s decision to validate Maduro’s victory does not resolve the crisis
• The US and a dozen other nations reiterate their rejection of the results of the elections in Venezuela
• Venezuela’s opposition rejects Supreme Court ruling that declares Maduro the winner of the elections