The White House spokesperson reaffirmed the Biden Administration’s support for the opposition’s fight to uphold the popular will, its victory, and stated that options to pressure the regime will continue to be explored
The United States affirmed this Wednesday the victory of Edmundo González Urrutia in the presidential elections held on July 28 in Venezuela and demanded that the regime of Nicolás Maduro acknowledge its defeat and allow for an orderly transition toward democratic rule in the country.
The candidate of the Democratic Unitary Platform “has won the majority of the votes, and that is clear, it is clear,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated during a press briefing, adding that “as we have said time and again, and will continue to say, Maduro must recognize it.”
From the outset, the United States condemned the Chavista electoral fraud and supported González Urrutia’s overwhelming victory, which was evidenced by the compilation of voting records by María Corina Machado and her team. They tallied nearly 70% of the votes, showing an insurmountable lead in favor of the former diplomat.
This was further reinforced by evidence of a lack of transparency and democratic guarantees on that Sunday, the critical reports from international observers, and, primarily, the failure of the National Electoral Council to present official documents supporting Maduro’s alleged victory.
In this context, where protests have emerged and are being violently suppressed by the regime’s security forces, the international community has begun exploring options to achieve a peaceful exit for Maduro from power.
Jean-Pierre explained that the White House will continue evaluating “ways to incentivize and pressure Maduro to recognize the election results,” though she declined to elaborate on what those alternatives might be.
In recent days, it emerged that Washington had offered Maduro an amnesty to facilitate his exit from power amid talks involving Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia between the Venezuelan parties.
However, on Monday, a State Department spokesperson stated that “that is not true,” though “a wide range of options is being considered to pressure Maduro to return Venezuela to the path of democracy and initiate talks for a peaceful transition.”
Despite these efforts, Jean-Pierre reminded that respecting the people’s voice and the transfer of power are ultimately obligations of the Chavista regime.
“The responsibility to tell the truth about the election results lies with Maduro, the Venezuelan people, and the electoral authorities. It is clear that Edmundo has the majority of the votes, and Maduro must recognize it,” she added.
On Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena about the regime’s duty to publish a “detailed and unaltered vote count” from the elections, as well as the urgent need to “end human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrests and indiscriminate detentions” in the country.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the U.S. official had spoken with Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo, with whom he discussed the role of the Organization of American States (OAS) in this crisis. Both expressed confidence that the organization could be “a vehicle” for restoring democracy in Venezuela.
(Reporting by EFE)
