Leaders across the Americas and beyond reacted to Venezuela‘s electoral authority’s announcement just after midnight on Monday that President Nicolas Maduro has won a third term in office, despite multiple exit polls which pointed to an opposition win.
US SECRETARY OF STATE
“We’ve seen the announcement just a short while ago by the Venezuelan electoral commission. We have serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
CHILE PRESIDENT GABRIEL BORIC
“Maduro’s regime must understand that the results are hard to believe. The international community and especially the Venezuelan people, including the millions of Venezuelans in exile, demand total transparency … From Chile we will not recognize any result that is not verifiable.”
GUATEMALAN PRESIDENT BERNARDO AREVALO
“Venezuela deserves transparent, accurate results that adhere to the will of its people. We receive the results announced by the CNE (electoral authority) with many doubts. This is why electoral observation mission reports are essential, and today more than ever, must defend Venezuelans’ votes.”
URUGUAYAN PRESIDENT LUIS LACALLE POU
“Not that way! It was an open secret. They were going to ‘win’ regardless of the actual results. The process up to election day and counting was clearly flawed. You cannot recognize a triumph if you can’t trust the forms and mechanisms used to achieve it.”
EUROPEAN UNION FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF JOSEP BORRELL
“The people of Venezuela voted on the future of their country peacefully and in large numbers. Their will must be respected. Ensuring full transparency in the electoral process, including detailed counting of votes and access to voting records at polling stations, is vital.”
COLOMBIA FOREIGN MINISTER LUIS GILBERTO MURILLO
“After maintaining permanent contact with all political actors involved in the presidential elections…We consider it essential that the voices of all sectors be heard. It is important to clear any doubts about the results… We call for the total vote count, its verification and independent audit to be carried out as soon as possible.”
PERUVIAN FOREIGN MINISTER JAVIER GONZALEZ-OLAECHEA
“I condemn in all extremity the sum of irregularities with the intention of fraud committed by the Venezuelan government. Peru will not accept the violation of the popular will of the Venezuelan people.”
“The Peruvian ambassador to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has been immediately recalled for consultations.”
COSTA RICAN PRESIDENCY
“The Government of Costa Rica categorically rejects the proclamation of Nicolas Maduro as president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which we consider to be fraudulent. We will work with the continent’s democratic governments and international organizations so that the sacred will of the Venezuelan people is respected.”
CUBAN PRESIDENT MIGUEL DIAZ-CANEL
“Nicolas Maduro, my brother, your victory, which is that of the Bolivarian and Chavista people, has cleanly and unequivocally defeated the pro-imperialist opposition. They also defeated the regional, interventionist and Monroist right. The people spoke and the Revolution won.”
Former president Raul Castro spoke with Maduro over the phone to congratulate him, Diaz-Canel’s office said.
HONDURAN PRESIDENT XIOMARA CASTRO
“Our special congratulations and Democratic, Socialist and Revolutionary greetings to the President Nicolas Maduro and the brave people of Venezuela for their unobjectionable triumph, which reaffirms their sovereignty and the historical legacy of the Commander Hugo Chavez.”
BOLIVIAN PRESIDENT LUIS ARCE
“We have closely followed this democratic festival and we welcome the fact that the will of the Venezuelan people at the polls has been respected. We want to ratify our willingness to continue strengthening our ties of friendship, cooperation and solidarity with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.”
SPAIN FOREIGN MINISTER
Jose Manuel Albares on Monday called on Venezuela to ensure “total transparency” in the vote count after Maduro was re-elected in a controversial vote. “What we want is total transparency in the process. And that is why what we are asking for, and what we also expect, is the publication of the results voting table by voting table, so that we can verify the results,” the Spanish minister told Cadena Ser radio station.
“At the moment we have some raw figures that have been given and, as you can see, there is a division of opinion,” he wrote on X. “The democratic will of the Venezuelan people must be respected,” he said. “We call for the calm and civic-mindedness which marked election day to be maintained”.
CHINA
China congratulated Maduro on his re-election, after a vote whose official results were immediately rejected by the country’s opposition and key regional nations. “China congratulates Venezuela for smoothly holding its presidential election and congratulates President Maduro on his successful re-election,” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a regular briefing. “China stands ready to enrich our all-weather strategic partnership and better benefit the peoples of both countries,” he said. “China and Venezuela are good friends,” he added.
ARGENTINE PRESIDENT JAVIER MILEI, BEFORE RESULTS
“Argentina will not recognize another fraud, and hopes that this time the Armed Forces will defend democracy and popular will.”
(With agency inputs)
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