Panama City, Aug 2 (EFE).- Panamanian President, Jose Raul Mulinojoined the recognition of the opposition candidate this Friday Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as the legitimate elected president of Venezuela, after the National Electoral Center (CNE) of the South American nation declared Nicolás Maduro the winner in elections last Sunday that Panama considers “fraudulent.”
«Panama joins in recognizing Edmundo González Urrutia as the elected president of Venezuela. May respect for the popular will prevail as the basis of democracy»Mulino said on his X account.
The Panamanian president had already clearly positioned himself against the result announced by the CNE after Sunday’s elections, an electoral body that this Friday confirmed that Maduro was re-elected in the presidential elections with 51.95% of the votes, compared to 43.18% for the majority opposition candidate, González Urrutia, with 96.87% of the votes counted.
González Urrutia and the opposition leader Maria Corina Machado However, they made public 81% of the voting records, which gave the opposition candidate the victory with 67% of the votes, compared to 30% obtained by Maduro.
Following Mulino’s announcement, the Panamanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs referred directly in a statement to the results announced this Friday, indicating that The Panamanian government “rejects the proclamation issued by the Venezuelan electoral body, given the lack of transparency and validity of the results proclaimed today.”
Other countries recognize it
“We join the expressions of the international community that recognizes Edmundo González Urrutia as the irrefutable winner of the presidential elections held in Venezuela on July 28. The possession of a significant number of voting records by the opposition confirms his victory and the majority support of Venezuelans,” the Foreign Ministry insisted.
In addition to this “unrestricted support for the recognition of González Urrutia as president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” the Panamanian government also demanded “respect for the popular will as the basis of democracy,” while expressing its desire that “the Venezuelan people find the path towards national reconciliation and peace.”
These accusations of electoral fraud had already led several countries to recognize González Urrutia as the winner of the elections.
Following the recognition made on Thursday by the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinkenthat González Urrutia was the winner of “the majority of votes in the presidential elections”, is added to the recognitions of Peru, Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador and Costa Rica.
OAS
The Panamanian government, headed by Mulino, has been a staunch critic of the Venezuelan elections, demanding transparency even before they were held. After the results, they not only declared them “fraudulent,” but also put relations on “suspense” and withdrew the diplomatic corps from the South American country. Currently, the airspace between the two countries is closed.
He then had no qualms about describing as “depressing” the fact that member countries of the Organization of American States (OAS) failed to reach the consensus necessary on Wednesday to approve a resolution calling on Venezuelan authorities to “immediately” publish the minutes of last Sunday’s elections with “absurd and stupid” arguments. EFE
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