U.S. Voices 'Serious Concerns' Over Contested Venezuelan Election Results, Urges For Transparency

The Biden administration on Monday called on Venezuela’s electoral authority to release detailed polling data to support its claim that the country’s autocratic leader Nicolas Maduro has secured a third six-year term, TURAN’s Washington correspondent reports.

Venezuela’s  National Electoral Council, which is controlled by Maduro’s regime, formalized the results of the vote, handing him another term claiming that he “won” 51 percent of the popular vote, versus 44 percent for opposition candidate Edmindo Gonzalez. Exit polls showed a blowout win for the opposition party.

The leaders of Argentina, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Panamá and other have openly rejected the results while Russia, China, Iran, Cuba, as well as Azerbaijan, rushed to congratulate Maduro.

“We have serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Tokyo.

“It’s critical that every vote be counted fairly and transparently so that election officials immediately share information with the opposition and independent observers without delay,” Senior U.S. officials told reporters in Washington during a call Monday morning.

When asked by TURAN’s correspondent whether the U.S. thought the elections were stolen, State Department’s Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said, “that is exactly what we are working closely and in close coordination with partners and allies to unearth.”

“And that is why you saw the Secretary call for a publication of the detailed tabulation of votes, and that’s what us and other regional partners are looking for as well.”

Asked about congratulatory messages that Maduro had been received from fellow authoritarian leaders, Patel said, “I am not a spokesperson for those governments, so I will leave it to them.”

He went on to add, “But echoing the Secretary [of State], we have serious concern about these results and have concerns that they don’t reflect the will and the votes of the Venezuelan people. That is why it is of great importance that every vote is counted fairly and transparently and that election officials immediately share information with opposition and independent observers, and on top of that, electoral representatives should publish the detailed tabulation of the votes.  And that’s what we’re looking for.”