03.08.2024, Washington.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro may be held accountable if he refuses to relinquish power, according to a joint statement by senators from both houses of the US Congress and chairs of parliamentary committees from several European countries, published on August 2 on the US Congress website.
Western politicians stated that they do not recognize the presidential elections held on July 28 and demand an “independent” review of the voting results. Politicians also accused the Venezuelan authorities of not adhering to “international standards of electoral integrity” but did not specify what was done incorrectly.
“We will work together to hold Maduro accountable should he continue to disregard the democratic will of Venezuelan voters to steal yet another election,” the statement reads.
It also mentions that the Venezuelan opposition published 80% of the voting protocols and, based on these partial data, declared the unified opposition candidate Edmundo González the winner. US and European politicians urged the Venezuelan president to urgently start negotiations to transfer power to his opponent in the elections.
In addition to US Congress members, representatives from Armenia, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Finland, Czech Republic, and Estonia signed the document.
According to the Venezuelan National Electoral Council, Maduro won the election with 51.95% of the vote, while González had 43.18%. The opposition has already stated that it does not recognize the voting results. Riots have started in the republic, during which two National Guard soldiers died and more than 1,000 protesters were detained.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
