WASHINGTON- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday demanded a “fair and transparent” recount of Venezuela’s presidential election, in which dictator Nicolas Maduro was re-elected with 51.2% of the votes, according to the ruling party-controlled National Electoral Council (CNE).
“Now that voting has concluded, it is vitally important that every vote is counted fairly and transparently. We call on electoral authorities to publish detailed vote counts (minutes) to ensure transparency and accountability,” Blinken said in a statement after Venezuela’s electoral authority, controlled by the regime, declared Maduro the winner of the election with 80% of the vote counted.
The announcement was made after the Venezuelan electoral authority, controlled by the ruling party, declared Maduro the winner of the election with 80% of the votes counted.
The tyrant Maduro obtained 51.2% of the votes compared to 44.2% for the opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, according to the president of the CNE, Elvis Amoroso.
Blinken applauded the Venezuelan people for participating in the election “despite significant challenges and serious concerns about the process.”
“We commend their courage and commitment to democratic principles in the face of repression and adversity,” the Secretary of State added.
Shortly before the electoral body’s announcement, the opposition command had denounced irregularities in the counting of votes.
Source: With information from AFP