At least 24 dead in the protests according to the NGO Provea. There are also more than 2,200 detainees, according to Maduro. Brazil, Colombia and Mexico mediate informally in Venezuela after the electoral crisis. The United States supports the three countries to achieve a “transition” in Venezuela
Following Venezuela’s disputed presidential election nine days ago, officials from Brazil, Colombia and Mexico They have been in constant contact with representatives of both the Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro as well as the opposition candidate Edmundo González, in search of a solution to the crisis. According to the president, 2,229 people have been detained in Venezuela.
All three countries are recommending that the Government and the opposition comply with Venezuelan laws and appear before the appropriate institutions to appeal any part of the process, the official said. That recommendation, however, is a difficult ask for the opposition, because Venezuela’s ruling party controls all aspects of the government, including the judicial system, and uses it to suppress opponents and repress those it perceives as such.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the contacts and declined to identify the representatives of the Venezuelan government and the opposition who participate in the discussions. The official also did not want to specify whether González’s team has expressed its willingness to formally appeal the results of the July 28 elections.
Unlike many other nations that have recognized Maduro or González as the winner, the governments of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico have adopted a more neutral stance by neither rejecting nor applauding when Venezuela’s electoral authorities declared Maduro the winner at the polls.
In a joint statement last week, the three countries called on the electoral body of Venezuela to make public tens of thousands of scrutiny reports, considered definitive proof of the results.
“The fundamental principle of popular sovereignty must be respected through the impartial verification of the results,” Brazilian President Luiz Inácio said in his statement. Lula da Silvathe president of Colombia, Gustavo Petroand the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The Mexican official told the AP that the three have not ruled out an in-person meeting with Maduro.
Millions of Venezuelans went to the polls on July 28 – some even held vigil at their polling station – for the highly anticipated elections that, by all indications, were the toughest electoral challenge yet for Maduro and his ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela. had faced in decades. The National Electoral Council He then proclaimed Maduro the winner without announcing detailed figures as he had done in the past.
About 12 hours after the results were announced, Thousands of Venezuelans throughout the country took to the streets to protest the results and were met with brutal government repression.
According to the Electoral Council, Maduro had obtained 6.4 million votes, while González, who represented the opposition Unitarian Platform coalition, obtained 5.3 million. But González and the opposition leader Maria Corina Machado They astonished Venezuelans when they revealed that they had obtained more than 80% of the scrutiny records issued by each electronic voting machine after the polls closed, and claimed that Maduro had been defeated by a 2-to-1 margin.
After the revelations, Maduro asked the Supreme Court of Justice of Venezuela to conduct an audit of the presidential election, but its decision immediately drew criticism from foreign observers who said the court is too close to the government to conduct an independent review.
A court dominated by Maduro
The court’s justices are nominated by federal officials and ratified by the National Assembly, dominated by Maduro supporters.
When the court summoned the 10 candidates who appeared on the ballot for a audience last Friday, just González did not show up. On Monday, the court ordered him to appear in another hearing this Wednesday.
Machado, in a recorded audio message for Venezuelans on social media on Tuesday, he said the opposition had obtained the tally sheets “without the regime realizing it.” She also reminded her supporters that her joint effort to unseat Maduro “has many phases” and it is not necessary for people to “always be in the streets.”
“There are times to go outmoments to come together and demonstrate all our strength and determination and embrace each other, just like There are times to prepare, organize, communicate and consult with our allies around the world, of which there are many,” he said. “Sometimes an operational pause is necessary to ensure that all elements of the strategy are aligned and ready for action.”
Also this Tuesday, the U.S. government He reiterated his call to Maduro and his representatives to recognize the electoral results that favor González. Mark Wells, acting assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, told reporters that President Joe Biden’s administration has examined evidence shared by the opposition and has determined that “it would be almost impossible to falsify” the vote count records.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” Wells said. “The real result of the elections is clear and the world can see it. Edmundo González obtained the majority of the votes.” He added that the Government of The United States continues to work with other countries to promote transparency and ensure that the people’s votes are counted. He also praised the joint effort of Colombia, Mexico and Brazil, but declined to offer details or say whether the United States is currently in talks with Maduro.
