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Madrid/Brussels – The member states of the European Union reiterated this Sunday that the results of the elections in Venezuela presented by the National Electoral Council (CNE), which grant victory to the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, with 51 percent of the votes, cannot be recognized “without supporting evidence,” noting that the records published by the opposition indicate a victory for their candidate, Edmundo González.
In a statement by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, on behalf of the 27, the bloc points out that “despite its own commitment, the CNE has not yet published the official records of the polling stations. Without supporting evidence, the results published on August 2 by the CNE cannot be recognized,” it indicates.
In this regard, it takes a step further and points to the opposition’s victory in the presidential elections by indicating that the copies of the electoral records published by the opposition, and reviewed by several independent organizations, “indicate that Edmundo González Urrutia appears to be the winner of the presidential elections by a significant majority.”
The statement of the 27 regrets that the delay in publishing the voting records will “cast more doubt on the credibility” of the electoral process, for which there are already reports indicating that “it did not meet international standards of electoral integrity.”
Therefore, the EU insists on the need for an independent verification of the records by an “entity of international reputation” and the “respect for the will of the Venezuelan people” as a way for the country to emerge from its current humanitarian and economic crisis.
“At this critical moment, it is important that demonstrations and protests remain peaceful. The European Union calls for calm and restraint. Venezuelan authorities, including security forces, must fully respect Human Rights, including freedom of expression and assembly,” added the statement from Borrell on behalf of the 27.
Likewise, the text expresses concern about the number of detentions, a figure that varies between 980 –according to the NGO Foro Penal Venezuela– and 2,000 –according to Maduro himself–, and has urged the authorities to put an end to arbitrary arrests, repression, and the rhetoric of violence against opponents.
This is the first joint statement of the EU since the outbreak of the crisis in Venezuela after a failed attempt last week due to Hungary’s reluctance, which prevented the text from being issued on behalf of the 27.
For his part, the Venezuelan leader called it a “shame” that Borrell speaks about “repression” while “leading Ukraine to war” and “remaining silent about the massacre in Gaza.”
This Saturday, the top leaders of the governments of Spain, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Portugal already demanded in a joint statement the publication of the Venezuelan presidential election records and condemned “strongly” any detention.
“We express our great concern about the situation in Venezuela after last Sunday’s presidential elections,” read the note, in which the signatories asked the Venezuelan authorities to “quickly publish the records to ensure full transparency and integrity of the electoral process.”
The seven countries emphasized that verification is “essential for recognizing the will of the Venezuelan people,” advocated for the respect of the rights of all Venezuelans in this process, and condemned any detention or threat. (August 3 and 5)