US recognizes Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as Venezuelan 'president-elect'

Source: The Guardian

US recognizes Edmundo González Urrutia as Venezuelan ‘president-elect’

Antony Blinken makes statement months after President Nicolás Maduro claimed to have won July contest

Guardian staff and agencies in Caracas
Tue 19 Nov 2024 22.03 GMT
Last modified on Tue 19 Nov 2024 22.06 GMT

The US government has recognized Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia as the “president-elect” of the South American country, months after President Nicolás Maduro claimed to have won the July contest.

Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, recognized González in a post on X in which he also demanded “respect for the will” of Venezuelan voters.

Joe Biden’s administration had previously said González earned the most votes in the disputed 28 July election, but fell short of acknowledging him as president-elect.

“The Venezuelan people spoke resoundingly on July 28 and made [González] the president-elect,” wrote Blinken.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/19/venezuelan-president-elect-edmundo-gonzalez-urrutia