After the controversial election: Blinken worries about opposition leaders in Venezuela

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is concerned about the safety of opposition leaders following the controversial presidential election in Venezuela. In a phone call with Edmundo González Urrutia and María Corina Machado, Blinken expressed his concern for their safety and well-being after the election, said US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. Blinken also condemned all political violence and repression.

Just on Friday, the opposition party Vente Venezuela announced on X that masked gunmen had vandalized Machado’s offices in the Venezuelan capital Caracas. “We denounce the attacks and the insecurity we are subjected to for political reasons,” the statement said. Machado also wrote in an article for the US newspaper “Wall Street Journal” that she was in hiding and feared for her freedom and her life.

After the election on Sunday, the pro-government electoral authority declared authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, the winner. However, it has not yet published the detailed results for the individual voting districts. The opposition accuses the government of electoral fraud and claims victory for its candidate González. The USA has already recognized the ex-diplomat’s victory. The EU, the Organization of American States and a number of Latin American states also doubt the official election result.

According to Miller, Blinken congratulated González on receiving the most votes in the election, which was demonstrated by the extensive efforts of the Democratic opposition to ensure a transparent vote count. The United States wanted to support the process of restoring democratic norms.

Recently, numerous people in the South American country took to the streets to protest against what they saw as rigged election results. The police cracked down hard on the demonstrators.