International criticism of the controversial presidential election is massive. Several Latin American countries want to reach a resolution. Now Venezuela is reacting.
Venezuela has announced that it will withdraw all its diplomatic staff from several Latin American countries due to criticism of the presidential election, which was accompanied by allegations of fraud. Venezuela strongly rejects “the interference and statements of a group of right-wing governments,” Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said on Platform X.
The countries are Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay. These are mostly the states that previously requested an emergency meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) to reach a resolution. Venezuela is also demanding that these governments immediately withdraw their representatives from Venezuelan territory.
The National Electoral Council (CNE) officially declared incumbent Maduro the winner of the election. This means that the left-wing head of state can begin his third six-year term in January 2025. According to official figures, Maduro received 51.2 percent of the vote in Sunday’s vote. The opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia received 44.2 percent.
The opposition did not recognize the official result and claimed victory for its candidate Edmundo González Urrutia. They accused the government of electoral fraud. The US government and a number of Latin American countries also expressed doubts about the official election result. Before the election on Sunday, several polls had predicted an opposition victory. However, even before the vote, observers did not assume that the election would be free and fair.