BRUSSELS.- The European Union indicated This Sunday in a statement that Nicolás Maduro “cannot be recognized” as president of Venezuela following allegations of fraud committed by the dictatorship on July 28 and the lack of evidence to support that the elections were transparent, in which Edmundo González Urrutia, the opposition candidate, won by a majority.
“In the absence of supporting evidence, the results published on 2 August (after the second bulletin) by the National Electoral Council cannot be recognised,” the Council of the European Union said in a statement, calling for “independent verification”.
The National Electoral Council (CNE), which is close to the dictatorship, ratified Maduro as the winner on Friday with 52% of the votes, above the 43% of González Urrutia, who represents Machado, who is prevented from running due to a political disqualification.
However, the Unitary Platform has data to prove the fraud that gives González Urrutia as the president-elect with more than seven million votes. Six countries, including the United States, already recognize the opposition candidate as President of Venezuela and dozens of other nations have asked the CNE to publish the detailed minutes so that Maduro’s victory can be confirmed.
Unlike the United States and other countries, the EU has refrained from recognising the victory of the opposition candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia.
“Copies of the electoral records published by the opposition and reviewed by several independent organizations indicate that Edmundo González Urrutia appears to have won the presidential elections by a substantial majority,” the text states simply.
“The European Union therefore calls for a new independent verification of the electoral records, if possible by an entity of international repute,” it added. “At this critical moment, it is important that demonstrations and protests remain peaceful. The European Union calls for calm and restraint. The Venezuelan authorities, including the security forces, must fully respect human rights, including freedom of expression and assembly.”
The EU also calls on the regime “to end arbitrary arrests, repression and violent rhetoric against members of the opposition and civil society, and to release all political prisoners.”
After seven days of protests, the Penal Forum has already put the number of deaths following the protests at 22 and, according to reports, has recorded more than 700 arrests.
