According to the European Union (EU), Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s disputed re-election last month cannot be acknowledged because the country’s electoral body has not provided official voting records.
“The results published by Venezuela’s National Electoral Council on August 2 cannot be recognised. Any attempt to delay the full publication of the official voting records will only cast further doubt on their credibility”, the EU Council said in a statement.
The union has also not recognised opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as president-elect, unlike the United States and several other countries.
“Copies of the electoral voting records published by the opposition, and reviewed by several independent organisations, indicate that Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia would appear to be the winner of the Presidential elections by a significant majority,” the EU statement said.
“The European Union thus calls for further independent verification of the electoral records, if possible by an internationally reputed entity,” it added.
The union called “on Venezuelan authorities to put an end to arbitrary detentions, repression and violent rhetoric against members of the opposition and civil society, and to release all political prisoners”.