The White House tempered President Joe Biden’s support of South American leaders who have demanded a new presidential election in Venezuela, as scrutiny grows over the re-election of President Nicolás Maduro, who has been in power for more than a decade.
Biden answered questions from reporters Thursday. (Photo by SAMUEL CORUM / AFP) (Photo by SAMUEL ... [+]
Biden was asked by reporters Thursday if he supported calls for a new election in Venezuela, to which he said, “I do,” according to Politico, though a White House National Security Council spokesperson later said Biden meant to address the absurdity of the situation in Venezuela, Bloomberg reported.
Biden’s initial comment seemingly joined the presidents of Brazil and Columbia in a proposal for a new election following Venezuela's national vote, the results of which became shrouded in doubt.
Venezuela's electoral authorities declared Maduro as the winner without releasing vote tallies to prove the claim, while the opposition posted its own verified results and argued precinct voting numbers show Edmundo González won the election by a significant gap, Politico reported.
The opposition published the results after collecting tally sheets from more than 80% of Venezuela’s electronic voting machines that showed a win for González, according to the Associated Press, which verified the accuracy of the results from 79% of the voting machines.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has specifically proposed a new vote involving international observers who could ensure an accurate vote, NBC News reported, while Colombian President Gustavo Petro called for new free elections in a thread on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“We do believe that Mr. Gonzalez will have the majority of votes. We believe that through a number of ways, in a number of sources,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters Thursday, according to the AP. “But what’s really definitive is the actual voting data. And the fact that Mr. Maduro won’t release that data, certainly, I think speaks to, what must be his concern about... the results of that would transparently display.”
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Countries such as Argentina have gone so far as to call for Maduro to relinquish his power to González and the opposition, as opposed to proposing a new election, Politico reported.
Venezuelan opposition politician María Corina Machado has pushed back against proposals for another vote, arguing a re-do would be “an insult” to the people of the country, according to the AP.
Maduro has been in power for 11 years, succeeding former Venezuela President Hugo Chavez as the country’s leader following Chavez’s death in 2013. Maduro’s long stint as president, which could extend to 2030 if he stays in power following the election, has been mired in controversy including the politically motivated arrests of detractors alongside human rights violations. The United Nations recently scrutinized a lack of transparency in Venezuela’s presidential elections and the country’s National Electoral Council over its disregard for electoral rules and regulations. The U.N. has said the voting tallies shared by the opposition in Venezuela appear legitimate.
Maduro lost election, tallies collected by Venezuela’s opposition show (The Washington Post)
Venezuelan opposition leader rejects Brazil’s idea of redoing Venezuela’s presidential vote (AP)