The United States on Thursday night recognized Venezuela’s opposition presidential candidate, Edmundo González, as the winner of the country’s disputed presidential election.
The announcement, by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, comes despite a claim by the country’s authoritarian president, Nicolás Maduro, and by the government-controlled electoral body that Maduro won the vote.
Maduro has yet to produce clear evidence of a victory, and election officials have failed to provide a vote count. González’s campaign says that it has receipts from more than 80% of voting machines that indicate that he won the election by an insurmountable margin.
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Blinken, in a statement, said that “given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo González Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela’s” presidential election Sunday.
“We congratulate Edmundo González Urrutia on his successful campaign,” Blinken continued. “Now is the time for the Venezuelan parties to begin discussions on a respectful, peaceful transition in accordance with Venezuelan electoral law.”
The announcement is sure to anger Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, tightening his grip by arresting dissidents, cracking down on protests and tilting elections in his favor.
The candidacy of González, who is backed by a popular opposition leader, María Corina Machado, represented the most significant electoral threat to Maduro’s power since he took office.
This article originally appeared in . c.2024 The New York Times Company
