Seven EU countries call on Venezuela to publish voter roll as soon as possible

MILAN (Reuters) – Seven European Union countries including Italy, France, Germany and Spain have jointly called on Venezuelan authorities to publish voters’ rolls promptly to ensure full transparency in last weekend’s election, the Italian prime minister’s office said on Saturday.

Venezuela’s electoral council declared President Nicolas Maduro, in power since 2013, had won the July 28 election with 51% of the vote, sparking immediate allegations of fraud from the opposition, which said its own detailed vote count showed opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez may have received 67% of the vote.

The joint statement from seven EU countries further intensified criticism of the Venezuelan government’s handling of the election.

Some countries, including the United States and Argentina, have recognized González as the winner of the election. Last week, foreign ministers from the Group of Seven expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people and their concerns about the election results.

“We call on the Venezuelan authorities to immediately publish all voter registers to ensure a fully transparent and fair electoral process,” seven EU countries including Portugal, the Netherlands and Poland said in a statement.

“The opposition says it has collected and published more than 80% of the voter registers from polling stations. This verification is crucial to confirming the will of the Venezuelan people.”