dpa
Paris
Seven European countries, including Germany and France, are calling on Venezuela to publish election documents following last week’s presidential polls, marred by serious fraud allegations.
“We express our great concern regarding the situation in Venezuela after last Sunday’s presidential elections,” says a joint statement published on Saturday by the governments of Germany, France, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal. “We call on Venezuelan authorities to release promptly all the tally sheets in order to guarantee the full transparency and integrity of the electoral process,” the statement adds.
“This verification is essential for recognizing the will of the Venezuelan people.”
After the election on July 28, Venezuela’s electoral authority declared authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, the winner of the election. However, it has not yet published the itemized results of the individual voting districts.
Protests have taken place in Venezuela against what is perceived as a manipulated election. Supporters of the socialist government have also taken to the streets to bolster Maduro in his power struggle with the opposition.The United States and half a dozen Latin American countries have recognized opposition candidate Edmundo González as the true winner.
