Biden Urges Venezuela to Hold New Elections

President Joe Biden has called for new elections in Venezuela, emphasizing the need for a democratic process to resolve the country’s political crisis.

Amid several countries’ rejection of the latest election results in Venezuela, US President Joe Biden has expressed his backing for holding a fresh set of polls. However, Caracas responded by accusing him of interfering with their internal matters.

Last month, Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner of Venezuela’s presidential election for a third term. Despite congratulatory messages from countries like China, Russia and Caracas’ regional allies, critics including Venezuelan opposition along with most Latin American nations and G7 states have declined to acknowledge Maduro’s victory citing “serious concerns” about the fairness of electoral proceedings.

Edmundo Gonzalez, a Western-backed opposition figure, has been declared the winner of the Washington officials in the election. The White House officially recognizes him as President-elect and U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed this declaration.

Thursday saw Brazilian President Lula da Silva and Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who have also rejected Maduro’s triumph, urging Caracas to conduct fresh elections while welcoming the presence of international observers for overseeing the process.

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The proposition has been rejected by Caracas and the opposition in Venezuela, as both factions claim to have legitimately emerged victorious in July’s election.

Following the proposal put forward by Lula and Petro, journalists queried Biden on whether he endorsed a fresh election to settle the political turmoil in Venezuela. The American president affirmed his backing of such an idea by stating: “I do.”

Afterward, a representative from the US National Security Council issued a statement elucidating that Biden was criticizing Maduro and his delegates for their failure to reveal details about the July 28 election. The spokesperson emphasized that it was evident Gonzalez had won fair and square.

Maduro criticized the US for interfering in Venezuela’s internal issues. He accused President Biden of speaking about matters that only concern Venezuelans and their institutions, referring to it as interventionist behavior. The Venezuelan leader quoted by media also highlighted how some State Department spokespersons contradicted President Biden just 30 minutes later, leaving confusion over who is ultimately leading foreign policy decision making in the US.

On July 28, the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela announced that Maduro had been declared as the winner in their presidential election. The council confirmed his triumph by stating he received 52% of total votes whereas Gonzalez secured only 43%.

However, the opposition has alleged that the election was manipulated. Maduro’s earlier victory in 2018 was also contested by both the opposition and major Latin American countries as well as the US and EU.