At least seven American countries reacted in a cascade on Friday, in a matter of hours, in favor of the Venezuelan opposition by recognizing the victory of Edmundo González in the presidential elections, of which President Nicolás Maduro was proclaimed the winner.
Following repeated calls for transparency, the governments of Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Panama today recognized the victory of the opposition.
Peru began sending messages of hemispheric support on Tuesday, when some governments denounced electoral fraud. Lima recognized González as the “legitimate president of Venezuela.”
“Come on, President! Strength, people of Venezuela,” wrote Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves on the social network X, responding to a message from González, a few hours after the Costa Rican government recognized him as the winner of the elections on Sunday, July 28.
Costa Rica, Guatemala and the USA.
Chaves added that “the will of the people must prevail,” and told Gonzalez and disqualified opposition leader Maria Corina Machado that “the Costa Rican government supports them.” San Jose offered political asylum to both opposition leaders this week, given the risk that they could be arrested in Venezuela.
The Guatemalan government also declared on Friday that it “does not recognize the results” of the elections and that Nicolás Maduro seeks to “perpetuate himself in power.”
“Guatemala does not recognize the results of the presidential election (…) because it does not have the corresponding guarantees and does not respect the popular will expressed by the Venezuelan people at the polls,” the Guatemalan Foreign Ministry announced in a statement.
The government headed by Bernardo Arévalo de León “rejects the actions of the Nicolás Maduro regime to perpetuate itself in power,” the note detailed.
Minutes on the web
Machado launched a website this week with copies of 84 percent of the voting records in her possession, which she says are irrefutable proof of the opposition’s victory. Chavismo, which has yet to present detailed results of the vote, dismisses these documents.
The United States, through its head of diplomacy, Antony Blinken, assured that the “overwhelming evidence” certified González Urrutia as the winner of the elections.
Regime certifies Maduro’s “victory”
Venezuela’s electoral authority confirmed Maduro’s re-election on the same day, on the eve of new protests called by the opposition and also by Chavismo.
Elvis Amoroso, president of the National Electoral Council, under the control of the ruling party, read on Friday the latest bulletin that sealed Maduro’s supposed victory with 52% of the votes, compared to González’s 43%. After his ratification, Maduro denounced a “coup d’état” backed by the United States, following Blinken’s support for the opposition.
Maduro and other presidential candidates went to the headquarters of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) today, after the president filed a legal appeal to request that the court “certify” his reelection.
At that event, several of the candidates asked for the detailed publication of the results, which the CNE has not yet released, claiming that its automated system was hacked. Edmundo González, who had a reserved seat to the right of Maduro, did not appear.
Mobilizations despite threats
The opposition has called for nationwide protests, but its supporters are fearful after protests that began on Monday have left 11 dead, according to human rights organizations, and more than 1,000 arrested.
“We have to keep moving forward to assert the truth. We have the evidence and the world already recognizes it,” Machado said in X, saying he had gone into hiding out of fear for his life.
It is not clear whether González Urrutia is in custody like Machado. His last public appearance was with the leader on Tuesday at a rally in Caracas that brought together thousands of people.
Maduro denounced that “criminals” he links to the opposition are planning “an attack” on Saturday, very close to the Caracas neighborhood where Machado called for the demonstration, and ordered security forces to protect “areas that are under threat.”
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