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Washington– U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a conference call on Friday with Venezuelan presidential election candidate Edmundo González Urrutia and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
During the conversation, Blinken congratulated Urrutia on “receiving a majority of the vote” in the July 28 election and expressed his concern for his and Machado’s “safety and well-being,” a statement said.
On Thursday, U.S. diplomats recognized Gonzalez as the winner of the election based on “overwhelming evidence” provided by the opposition.
Blinken’s call came on the same day that Machado’s party, Voice of Venezuela, reported an early morning “robbery” at its headquarters, in which six armed men “overpowered” security guards and took away equipment and documents.
In an op-ed published Thursday in The Wall Street Journal, the opposition leader said she feared for her life: “They could catch me as I write these words,” she wrote.
Venezuela’s National Electoral Council on Friday confirmed Maduro’s victory with 51.95% of the vote, while majority opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia received 43.18% in 96 minutes of voting, with 87% of the voting time.
The announcement, which came three days after the opposition reportedly posted an electoral tally of “81%” on its website, opens the door for Maduro to continue as Chavista president for another six years (2025-2030). Anti-Chavista González Urrutia won the presidency by a wide margin.
The fraud complaints come amid protests in Venezuela that have left at least 12 people dead, including a soldier, and more than 1,200 detained, with the government calling for extreme police and military control as it sees the situation as a coup. JS
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