The United States on Thursday recognized opposition candidate Edmundo González as the winner of this week’s presidential election against President Nicolás Maduro.
The recognition comes as the U.S. has demanded Venezuela’s electoral authority show proof backing its decision to declare Maduro the winner, as violence and protests of varying scales have cropped up since Monday.
So far, Maduro has only asked the county’s highest court to audit the results.
“Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo González Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
The State Department has been joined by several other governments in calling for Venezuela’s National Electoral Council to release detailed vote counts.
The opposition coalition, headed by González, claims there are major discrepancies with how votes were tallied.
Officials from Brazil, Colombia, and México have called for an independent review of the results.
“The fundamental principle of popular sovereignty must be respected through impartial verification of the results,” the three governments said in a join statement late Thursday.
Meanwhile, supporters of Maduro have called for members of the opposition coalition to be arrested.
In 2019, the Trump administration recognized Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s president, leading to Maduro breaking ties with the U.S. Maduro remained in his position.
With News wire services