US Rejects Venezuelan Election Results, Declares Opposition Candidate the Winner

On Thursday, the State Department said that Edmundo González Urrutia won Sunday’s presidential election. The Venezuelan election agency announced that President Nicolas Maduro had won a third term.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed that Urrutia won the election by an “insurmountable margin.” The announcement of results by the Maduro-controlled National Electoral Council (CNE) were deeply flawed, yielding an announced outcome that does not represent the will of the Venezuelan people,” America’s top diplomat said.

Blinken’s statement continued, “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 July 28 presidential election.”

The Secretary explained his conclusion was drawn from a report from the Carter Center, named for former US President Jimmy Carter. Binken asserted the institute was “independent.” However, the Carter Center is funded by multiple US government agencies, including the State Department.

Over the past two decades, Washington has made multiple attempts to overthrow Maduro, and his predecessor, Hugo Chavez. Under President Donald Trump, the White House backed Juan Guaido’s claim to the presidency in Caracas.

Along with multiple coup attempts, the US has unleashed an economic war on Venezuela that has contributed to the people’s economic hardships. Washington’s sanctions have contributed to tens of thousands of deaths for impoverished Venezuelans.

On Monday, the Venezuelan CNE reported that Maduro won a slight majority of votes, 51.2%, beating Urrutia by around 700,000 votes. While the US and Peru have denied these results, a number of other countries, including China, have endorsed Maduro’s victory.

Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com, news editor of the Libertarian Institute, and co-host of Conflicts of Interest.