Several EU nations have urged Venezuela to swiftly publish election documents in the aftermath of the contested presidential election on Sunday last week.
In a joint statement, leaders from Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, and Portugal voiced an appeal for transparency and requested the Venezuelan authorities to make all protocols and reports public as soon as possible to ensure the election process’s transparency and integrity.
Incumbent president Nicolás Maduro, who has held power in the country for 13 years, claimed victory in the election on 28 July. The results published by the electoral authority on Monday and Friday confirmed the re-election of Maduro for a third term running until 2031, without giving detailed results. These showed Maduro won with 52% of the vote against opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia (43%).
However, the opposition alleges this was widely fraudulent, with their count showing González won 67% of the vote. He has also been recognised as the rightful winner by several countries in the region.
The contested results have spurred post-election demonstrations against Maduro. On Saturday, thousands of Venezuelans marched across the South American country over the contested election.
Maduro told his supporters at a rally that some 2,000 people had been arrested in these protests, and that there would be "no forgiveness for these people". Already, the unrest has left at least 11 people dead, while several others have "disappeared".
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The leaders of the EU countries in their appeal responded to these arrests, insisting that "the rights of all Venezuelans, in particular political leaders, must be respected." They added that they "strongly condemn any arrests or threats against them".
Meanwhile, Maduro declared at the same supporters' rally that the country would not accept the opposition's attempt to "usurp the presidency again", referring to the recognition by some countries of opposition candidate González.
