Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro is calling for a fair vote count in Venezuela after President Nicolas Maduro’s contested election win sparked mass protests. Petro urged Maduro to allow a transparent counting process with international oversight to bring peace and end violence.
The Venezuelan National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner with 51% of the vote, but the opposition claims fraud and has evidence of a different outcome. Opposition leader Gonzalez called for respect of the people’s will as protests erupted across the country.
At least 11 people have died in election-related incidents, and international observers have criticized the government’s crackdown on demonstrations. Despite pressure, Maduro insists Venezuela is facing a coup attempt and blames opposition leaders for the unrest.
The opposition claims to have vote tallies showing Gonzalez won by a large margin, but challenges remain in proving these results. Analysts suggest negotiations for a peaceful transition could still occur if the government shares the official tallies.
The G7 foreign ministers have urged Venezuela to publish detailed election results transparently, echoing concerns raised by the Carter Center that the election did not meet international standards of fairness. It remains to be seen how the situation will unfold in the coming days.