US denies offering amnesty for Maduro’s ouster

WASHINGTON – The United States denied on Monday that it had offered amnesty to Venezuela’s president Nicolas MaduroElectoral authorities declared him re-elected in the July 28 election, a result that was questioned by the opposition and parts of the international community.

Deputy Spokesperson of the State Council Vedant PatelThe Wall Street Journal denied the claim in a press release, saying that the Joe Biden administration will offer amnesty to convince Maduro to leave before his term ends in January.

“That’s not true. We are not offering any amnesty to Maduro or anyone else after the election,” Patel said when asked about it.

However, the spokesman said the United States was “considering a number of options to pressure Maduro to return to a democratic path,” and claimed that it was “time for Chavismo and the opposition to begin negotiations for a peaceful transition.”

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The Wall Street Journal, citing three anonymous sources, reported that the United States has offered pardons to Maduro and senior Chavista officials facing Justice Department charges in an effort to persuade them to step down.

The newspaper detailed that in 2020, the United States offered a $15 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Maduro, who is accused of drug trafficking with his allies. Maduro himself said last Friday that the United States was willing to give “everything” for his removal, but he asked Washington to keep Venezuela “calm.”

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The United States does not recognize Maduro’s victory in the July 28 election, which was announced by the National Electoral Council (CNE) without releasing voting records and deems the winner to be his rival Edmundo González Urrutia, based on minutes obtained by the United States and part of the majority opposition bloc.

In turn, Washington has backed mediation efforts pushed by Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, which maintain ties with Maduro, to try to certify the election results.