Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Colombian President Gustavo Petro have proposed new presidential elections in Venezuela as a possible solution to the situation after the opposition and several countries failed to recognise the results of the July vote.
The two South American leaders, who spoke by phone on Wednesday to discuss possible political ways out of Venezuela’s post-election crisis, independently urged Maduro to consider holding new elections.
But Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said that would mean a “lack of respect” for the popular will, which had already been expressed on July 28.
And opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, a 74-year-old retired diplomat who claims to have defeated Maduro by a wide margin, accused the long-time leftist leader of “gambling with the lives of millions” by refusing to admit defeat. González Urrutia said in a video posted on social media on Thursday:
“The country’s economy is getting worse and worse with each passing day with no political solution in sight, and you are responsible for this tragedy. Venezuela deserves a future of stability, prosperity and peace, but in order to have that, the will of the people must be respected.”
US leader Joe Biden said he supports the initiative to hold repeat elections in Venezuela.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has rejected offers from the leaders of Brazil and Colombia. Speaking to reporters, he said:
“Venezuela is a sovereign and independent state, it has a constitution and its own political institutions. Any conflicts that occur in Venezuela must be resolved by Venezuelans themselves through its institutions and on the basis of Venezuelan law and constitution.”
Venezuela’s presidential election was held on July 28. According to the National Electoral Council after processing almost 97 per cent of the protocols, 51.95 per cent of voters voted for Maduro, while his main rival Edmundo González Urrutia won 43.18 per cent of the vote.
On the day of the vote, Corina Machado said that Gonzalez’s team was not going to accept his electoral defeat. Maduro’s victory was recognised by Russia, Bolivia, Honduras, Iran, China, Cuba, Iran, Nicaragua and China, but some states including Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay and the United States refused to recognise his re-election.
