Three months after the controversial re-election of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Washington continues to press. Joe Biden’s government announced on Tuesday, November 19, that it recognized Edmundo González as president-elect of Venezuela. “The Venezuelan people spoke very clearly on July 28. “He made Mr. González his elected president.” wrote the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, on the X network, recalling that “ “Democracy requires respect for the will of the voters.” The day before, the US House of Representatives had approved a law known as “Bolívar”, which reinforces sanctions against Venezuela.
González also used the X network to thank Blinken for his statement. “This gesture honors our people’s desire for change and the civic gesture we made together on July 28”wrote the unified candidate of the Venezuelan opposition who, a month after the elections, went into exile in Spain. Its political leader, María Corina Machado (who had been excluded from the presidential race by a court decision), remained in Venezuela, where she now lives in hiding.
Antony Blinken wrote his message from Rio de Janeiro (where the G20 was held), after meeting with several counterparts from Latin America and Europe to discuss the situation in Venezuela.
Technically dubious results
Neither Washington, nor Brussels, nor the vast majority of Latin American countries have recognized Maduro’s re-election. The National Electoral Council of Venezuela, which on the afternoon of July 28 had proclaimed technically dubious results, never provided details about the announced figures. The opposition compiled and published more than 80% of the vote count minutes on the Web. They give a clear victory to the opposition candidate. The United States never doubted it, but it did not give him the title of “president-elect” to Mr. González.
The diplomatic maneuver is reminiscent of that of January 2019. Donald Trump, then in power, refused to recognize Maduro’s re-election. Follow the logic of the opposition – which boycotted the vote – and recognize how “legitimate president” of Venezuela, the young president of the Chamber of Deputies, Juan Guaidó, proclaimed himself “interim president”. The experiment was short-lived and the enthusiasm generated by Guaidó quickly faded.
You have 51.57% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
