The Peruvian government has officially recognized Edmundo González Urrutia as the legitimate winner of last Sunday's election in Venezuela, amidst growing instability due to accusations of electoral fraud by Nicolás Maduro's regime.
Foreign Minister Javier González-Olaechea stated that "with more than 70% of the ballots uploaded to a website," which he personally verified, "it is absolutely clear that González Urrutia is the elected president of Venezuela, leading by over 30 points." He added, "This stance is shared by numerous countries, governments, and international organizations."
Regarding Maduro, the minister asserted that, "following the fraudulent actions in Sunday's election, Peru considers him a person attempting to entrench himself in power through a dictatorship." He lamented, "The situation is very unfortunate; we had hoped it wouldn't come to this, but the decline of democratic conditions has been catastrophic."
These statements come amid a growing climate of instability in Venezuela, where early Monday morning, the National Electoral Council (CNE) announced that Maduro won by just over 704,114 votes against González Urrutia, the candidate of the main opposition coalition, with 20% of the ballots still to be counted. This translates to 2,394,268 votes whose fate remains unknown and could potentially alter the final results.
Additionally, María Corina Machado, from the opposition alliance, claimed that González Urrutia won the presidency by a wide margin and created a website where she uploaded 73% of the electoral ballots to support her claim.
In response to the severe criticism over the apparent election theft, Nicolás Maduro's government demanded that Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay withdraw their "representatives from Venezuelan territory." According to an official statement, Maduro also decided to "withdraw all diplomatic personnel from these seven Latin American countries that criticized his murky re-election."
The Venezuelan people continue to take to the streets, demanding that Maduro step down and respect the election results.
Understanding the Political Tensions in Venezuela
The following questions and answers aim to provide clarity on the current political situation in Venezuela, focusing on the recent elections and international responses.
Who is Edmundo González Urrutia?
Edmundo González Urrutia is the opposition candidate who has been recognized by several countries as the legitimate winner of Venezuela's recent election.
What is the stance of the Peruvian government on the Venezuelan election?
The Peruvian government has recognized Edmundo González Urrutia as the legitimate winner and has condemned Nicolás Maduro's actions as fraudulent.
How has Nicolás Maduro responded to international criticism?
Nicolás Maduro has demanded the withdrawal of diplomats from countries that criticized his re-election and has also withdrawn Venezuelan diplomatic personnel from these countries.