In a statement, Antony Blinken stated that Edmundo González had clearly received the most votes, despite incumbent President Nicolás Maduro’s claim of a disputed victory.
“Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo González Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela’s 28 July presidential election,” Mr. Blinken explained.
His intervention comes as the presidents of Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia have all urged Venezuela to release the results of last Sunday’s election.
Last Sunday, the government-controlled electoral council announced that President Maduro had won a third term.
However, the opposition quickly contested this, claiming that it was fraudulent because they had access to the bulk of receipts from electronic voting machines around the country.
The opposition claims that its own vote count indicates that it won the election by a large margin. Prior to the election, opinion polls indicated that the challenger would win easily.
President Maduro has repeatedly accused foreign nations of tampering with the elections.
He has categorically rejected electoral fraud and stated that the opposition has instigated a coup by contesting the results.
