BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — AMID ongoing protests across Venezuela following the general elections and the United States' support for the opposition, the Council of the European Union has joined the chorus of voices calling for an independent assessment of the election results.
Since the elections, there has been growing pressure on Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) to release the official voting records to ensure transparency and accountability.
Venezuelans voted on July 28, and the CNE announced that Nicolas Maduro won with 51 percent of the vote, while opposition candidate Edmundo González claimed approximately 46 percent.
Following the announcement, the United States and several Latin American countries have refused to recognize Maduro as President and have called for the release of the data.
CARICOM member states have taken varied approaches to the results, but the EU Council has specifically called for an independent review of the data, which it claims indicates an opposition victory.
The Council expressed deep concern, noting that "international election observation missions clearly state that the presidential elections on July 28 did not meet international standards of electoral integrity."
The Council emphasized that without evidence to support the reported outcomes, the results published by the CNE on August 2 cannot be recognized. It stated that "any attempt to delay the full publication of the official voting records will only cast further doubt on the credibility of the officially published results."
Copies of the electoral records published by the opposition and reviewed by several independent organizations suggest that Edmundo González Urrutia may have won the presidential election by a significant majority. The European Union is calling for further independent verification of the electoral records, ideally by a reputable international entity.
Despite international pressure, Maduro remains steadfast, with China expressing support for his administration. According to Reuters, a foreign ministry spokesperson recently stated, "We believe that the government and people are capable of handling their own internal affairs”.
However, Washington is not backing down. Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson at the US State Department, remarked that, "A number of independent observers earlier have released a report and stated that Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election did not meet international standards of electoral integrity and cannot be considered democratic.”
Maduro’s declared victory has sparked nationwide clashes between protesters and police, with media reports indicating at least 20 deaths. In response, the EU Council has called for protests to "remain peaceful."
“The European Union calls for calm and restraint. Venezuelan authorities, including security forces, must fully respect human rights, including freedom of expression and of assembly,” the statement read.
The EU also expressed concern over the "arbitrary detentions and the continued harassment of the opposition."
