JOINS THE HOWLING HORDES
Brian Platt
Sun, August 4, 2024
(Bloomberg) -- Canada cautiously waded into the Venezuelan election dispute, rejecting the official results released by Nicolas Maduro’s government but stopping short of declaring opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez the rightful winner.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, which played an activist role in the US-led effort to unseat Maduro as part of the Lima Group in 2019, called for “a peaceful, negotiated and Venezuelan-led solution” to resolve the crisis and offered to work with “partners in the region.”
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, in a statement Sunday night, said the data collected by independent observers “provides credible evidence that the results claimed by Maduro authorities of this election don’t reflect the will of the Venezuelan people.” Her statement didn’t mention Gonzalez by name.
Canada’s stand contrasts with the more direct approach of President Joe Biden’s administration. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that Gonzalez clearly won the most votes in the July 28 presidential election and called for a peaceful transition of power.
Maduro declared himself the winner but Venezuela’s regime-controlled electoral authority, which says he won 52% of the vote, has yet to release detailed results. The opposition has published records from about 80% of voting stations that show Gonzalez secured at least 70% support, sparking nationwide protests.
The authoritarian president has threatened to jail Gonzalez and banned opposition leader Maria Corina Machado for fomenting dissent and alleged electoral meddling.
Venezuelan voters turned out in large numbers and the Canadian government “deeply regrets that Venezuelan authorities did not respect this impressive civic engagement by failing to share the proof of the results,” Joly said. “We reiterate our call on the Venezuelan authorities to ensure transparency and publish detailed results for all polling stations.”
Last year, Canada took steps to restore ties with Maduro’s socialist government, marking a turnaround after it had backed an earlier push by Donald Trump’s administration to recognize former National Assembly President Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s leader.
Maduro, whose regime has arrested at least 2,000 people since Monday for allegedly trying to destabilize the government, has said the latest international push against him will fail. He has repeatedly described Gonzalez as “Guaido 2.0.”
Bloomberg Businessweek
RFI
Mon, August 5, 2024
The European Union has heaped further international pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, joining Washington and South American nations in refusing to recognise the win he has claimed in recent elections marked by fraud allegations.
A statement from the EU Council on Sunday said the results published by Venezuela's National Electoral Council on 2 August could not be recognised.
Any attempt to delay the full publication of the official voting records would only "cast further doubt" on the credibility of the polls, it said.
Venezuela's election authority said the 28 July vote was won by incumbent Maduro, a result that defied pre-election polls and ignited protests that rights group say have left 11 people dead so far and thousands arrested.
A growing number of nations, including the United States and Argentina, say the election was won by opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.
EU states France, Germany, Italy and Spain are among those to urge transparency, calling on authorities to release detailed vote tallies.
The latest rejection comes as Venezuela's opposition backed outside calls for the results of last week's disputed presidential vote to be published, as the Pope said Venezuelans must "seek the truth" and warned against further violence.
'Commitment to democracy'
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who spent much of the week in hiding after Maduro threatened her with arrest following the protests, welcomed these countries' "commitment to democracy" over the weekend.
EU joins refusals to recognize Maduro as Venezuela vote winner
AFP
Sun, August 4, 2024
A supporter of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro protests in Caracas (Pedro Rances Mattey)
The European Union heaped further international pressure Sunday on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, joining Washington and Latin American nations in refusing to recognize the win he has claimed in the recent election marked by fraud allegations.
The latest rejection comes as Venezuela's opposition backed outside calls for the results of last week's disputed presidential vote to be published, as the Pope said Venezuelans must "seek the truth" and warned against further violence.
The results published by Venezuela's National Electoral Council on August 2 "cannot be recognised," the EU Council said in a statement.
"Any attempt to delay the full publication of the official voting records will only cast further doubt" on their credibility, it said.
The country's election authority says the July 28 vote was won by incumbent Maduro, a result that defied pre-election polls and ignited protests that rights group say have left 11 people dead so far and thousands arrested.
A growing number of nations, including the United States and Argentina, say the election was won by opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.
EU states France, Germany, Italy and Spain are among those that have urged transparency, calling on authorities to release detailed vote tallies.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who spent much of the week in hiding after Maduro threatened her with arrest following the protests, welcomed these countries' "commitment to democracy" over the weekend.
She had backed the candidacy of Gonzalez Urrutia after she herself was banned from running.
"On behalf of Venezuelans, I thank you for this important message... reaffirming your commitment to democracy," she wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
But unlike the United States and several other countries, the EU has refrained from recognising Gonzalez Urrutia as president-elect.
"Copies of the electoral voting records published by the opposition, and reviewed by several independent organisations, indicate that Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia would appear to be the winner of the Presidential elections by a significant majority," the EU statement said.
"The European Union thus calls for further independent verification of the electoral records, if possible by an internationally reputed entity."
On Friday, the National Electoral Council (CNE) ratified Maduro's victory with 52 percent of the vote against 43 percent for Gonzalez Urrutia.
Claiming to be the victim of computer hacking, the CNE, which the opposition accuses of being loyal to Maduro, has still not provided details of the vote on a poll-by-poll basis.
The opposition believes this is a maneuver to avoid revealing the true results, and has published the minutes of each polling station on a website showing that Gonzalez Urrutia won 67 percent of the vote.
Maduro has rejected their validity.
"We support the request for the verification of the minutes that we have presented, as soon as possible, at an international and independent level," said Machado.
"We also appreciate the call for an end to the persecution and repression which, in recent hours, has been cruelly deployed against innocent people who are merely demanding respect for the popular sovereignty they exercised" last Sunday, she added.
- 'Seek the truth' -
She spoke as Pope Francis, saying Venezuela was undergoing "a critical situation," sent "a heartfelt appeal to all parties to seek the truth and exercise moderation to avoid any type of violence."
Maduro has slammed what he called attempts to "usurp the presidency," while Machado has said the opposition has "never been so strong."
After Venezuela's last election, in 2018, Maduro was proclaimed winner amid widespread accusations of fraud. Eventually the United States and many other countries recognized the then-speaker of parliament, Juan Guaido, as acting president.
But Guaido failed to remove Maduro from office and the once wildly popular young politician faded from public life.
Maduro, 61, has slammed the international criticism, describing allegations of vote fraud as a "trap" orchestrated by Washington to justify "a coup."
He has led the oil-rich, cash-poor country since 2013, presiding over a GDP drop of 80 percent that pushed more than seven million of once-wealthy Venezuela's 30 million citizens to emigrate.
Experts blame economic mismanagement and US sanctions for the collapse.
burs-st/mlm/dw
Brian Platt
Sun, August 4, 2024
(Bloomberg) -- Canada cautiously waded into the Venezuelan election dispute, rejecting the official results released by Nicolas Maduro’s government but stopping short of declaring opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez the rightful winner.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, which played an activist role in the US-led effort to unseat Maduro as part of the Lima Group in 2019, called for “a peaceful, negotiated and Venezuelan-led solution” to resolve the crisis and offered to work with “partners in the region.”
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, in a statement Sunday night, said the data collected by independent observers “provides credible evidence that the results claimed by Maduro authorities of this election don’t reflect the will of the Venezuelan people.” Her statement didn’t mention Gonzalez by name.
Canada’s stand contrasts with the more direct approach of President Joe Biden’s administration. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that Gonzalez clearly won the most votes in the July 28 presidential election and called for a peaceful transition of power.
Maduro declared himself the winner but Venezuela’s regime-controlled electoral authority, which says he won 52% of the vote, has yet to release detailed results. The opposition has published records from about 80% of voting stations that show Gonzalez secured at least 70% support, sparking nationwide protests.
The authoritarian president has threatened to jail Gonzalez and banned opposition leader Maria Corina Machado for fomenting dissent and alleged electoral meddling.
Venezuelan voters turned out in large numbers and the Canadian government “deeply regrets that Venezuelan authorities did not respect this impressive civic engagement by failing to share the proof of the results,” Joly said. “We reiterate our call on the Venezuelan authorities to ensure transparency and publish detailed results for all polling stations.”
Last year, Canada took steps to restore ties with Maduro’s socialist government, marking a turnaround after it had backed an earlier push by Donald Trump’s administration to recognize former National Assembly President Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s leader.
Maduro, whose regime has arrested at least 2,000 people since Monday for allegedly trying to destabilize the government, has said the latest international push against him will fail. He has repeatedly described Gonzalez as “Guaido 2.0.”
Bloomberg Businessweek
EU refuses to recognise Maduro victory in disputed Venezuelan elections
RFI
Mon, August 5, 2024
The European Union has heaped further international pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, joining Washington and South American nations in refusing to recognise the win he has claimed in recent elections marked by fraud allegations.
A statement from the EU Council on Sunday said the results published by Venezuela's National Electoral Council on 2 August could not be recognised.
Any attempt to delay the full publication of the official voting records would only "cast further doubt" on the credibility of the polls, it said.
Venezuela's election authority said the 28 July vote was won by incumbent Maduro, a result that defied pre-election polls and ignited protests that rights group say have left 11 people dead so far and thousands arrested.
A growing number of nations, including the United States and Argentina, say the election was won by opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.
EU states France, Germany, Italy and Spain are among those to urge transparency, calling on authorities to release detailed vote tallies.
The latest rejection comes as Venezuela's opposition backed outside calls for the results of last week's disputed presidential vote to be published, as the Pope said Venezuelans must "seek the truth" and warned against further violence.
'Commitment to democracy'
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who spent much of the week in hiding after Maduro threatened her with arrest following the protests, welcomed these countries' "commitment to democracy" over the weekend.
EU joins refusals to recognize Maduro as Venezuela vote winner
AFP
Sun, August 4, 2024
A supporter of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro protests in Caracas (Pedro Rances Mattey)
The European Union heaped further international pressure Sunday on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, joining Washington and Latin American nations in refusing to recognize the win he has claimed in the recent election marked by fraud allegations.
The latest rejection comes as Venezuela's opposition backed outside calls for the results of last week's disputed presidential vote to be published, as the Pope said Venezuelans must "seek the truth" and warned against further violence.
The results published by Venezuela's National Electoral Council on August 2 "cannot be recognised," the EU Council said in a statement.
"Any attempt to delay the full publication of the official voting records will only cast further doubt" on their credibility, it said.
The country's election authority says the July 28 vote was won by incumbent Maduro, a result that defied pre-election polls and ignited protests that rights group say have left 11 people dead so far and thousands arrested.
A growing number of nations, including the United States and Argentina, say the election was won by opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.
EU states France, Germany, Italy and Spain are among those that have urged transparency, calling on authorities to release detailed vote tallies.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who spent much of the week in hiding after Maduro threatened her with arrest following the protests, welcomed these countries' "commitment to democracy" over the weekend.
She had backed the candidacy of Gonzalez Urrutia after she herself was banned from running.
"On behalf of Venezuelans, I thank you for this important message... reaffirming your commitment to democracy," she wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
But unlike the United States and several other countries, the EU has refrained from recognising Gonzalez Urrutia as president-elect.
"Copies of the electoral voting records published by the opposition, and reviewed by several independent organisations, indicate that Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia would appear to be the winner of the Presidential elections by a significant majority," the EU statement said.
"The European Union thus calls for further independent verification of the electoral records, if possible by an internationally reputed entity."
On Friday, the National Electoral Council (CNE) ratified Maduro's victory with 52 percent of the vote against 43 percent for Gonzalez Urrutia.
Claiming to be the victim of computer hacking, the CNE, which the opposition accuses of being loyal to Maduro, has still not provided details of the vote on a poll-by-poll basis.
The opposition believes this is a maneuver to avoid revealing the true results, and has published the minutes of each polling station on a website showing that Gonzalez Urrutia won 67 percent of the vote.
Maduro has rejected their validity.
"We support the request for the verification of the minutes that we have presented, as soon as possible, at an international and independent level," said Machado.
"We also appreciate the call for an end to the persecution and repression which, in recent hours, has been cruelly deployed against innocent people who are merely demanding respect for the popular sovereignty they exercised" last Sunday, she added.
- 'Seek the truth' -
She spoke as Pope Francis, saying Venezuela was undergoing "a critical situation," sent "a heartfelt appeal to all parties to seek the truth and exercise moderation to avoid any type of violence."
Maduro has slammed what he called attempts to "usurp the presidency," while Machado has said the opposition has "never been so strong."
After Venezuela's last election, in 2018, Maduro was proclaimed winner amid widespread accusations of fraud. Eventually the United States and many other countries recognized the then-speaker of parliament, Juan Guaido, as acting president.
But Guaido failed to remove Maduro from office and the once wildly popular young politician faded from public life.
Maduro, 61, has slammed the international criticism, describing allegations of vote fraud as a "trap" orchestrated by Washington to justify "a coup."
He has led the oil-rich, cash-poor country since 2013, presiding over a GDP drop of 80 percent that pushed more than seven million of once-wealthy Venezuela's 30 million citizens to emigrate.
Experts blame economic mismanagement and US sanctions for the collapse.
burs-st/mlm/dw
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