International criticism of the controversial presidential election is massive. Several Latin American countries want to obtain a resolution from the Organization of American States.
After a presidential election in Venezuela that was accompanied by allegations of fraud, several Latin American countries want to request an emergency meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS). The aim is to adopt a resolution “that protects the will of the people within the framework of the Democratic Charter and the basic principles of democracy in our region,” said a joint statement published by the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry on Platform X.
The governments of Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay express their deep concern about the conduct of the presidential election in Venezuela. They call for “a full verification of the results in the presence of independent electoral observers to ensure respect for the will of the Venezuelan people, who participated in the elections in large numbers and peacefully,” they said.
Peru’s ambassador has been recalled for consultations, Peru’s Foreign Minister Javier González-Olaechea said. Brazil’s government expressed its satisfaction with the “peaceful nature” of election day in Venezuela and reiterated that it would continue to closely monitor the process, the Foreign Ministry said.
After the presidential election in the crisis-ridden state of Venezuela, both the authoritarian Nicolás Maduro and the opposition have claimed victory. The National Electoral Council (CNE) declared incumbent Maduro the winner of the election. The opposition did not recognize the official result and claimed victory for its candidate Edmundo González Urrutia. Doubts about the official election result were also quickly raised abroad, such as in the USA.
Venezuela suffers from mismanagement, corruption and sanctions. More than 80 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. According to the UN, more than seven million people have left the country in recent years because of poverty and violence.
