- The US, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Guatemala and Costa Rica do not recognize the alleged reelection of the Chavista candidate
- While Mexico and Brazil are careful to congratulate Chavismo until the vote count is finished
Agencies (via 14ymedio), Madrid, July 29, 2024 –The president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, sent his most “affectionate congratulations” to Nicolás Maduro on Monday, for what he described as a “triumph of dignity” after the National Electoral Council (CNE) announced the electoral results that granted him victory by 51.20% of the votes, compared to 44.2% for Edmundo González Urrutia.
On social network X, Díaz-Canel said that “the dignity and courage of the Venezuelan people triumphed over pressures and manipulations.” He added that he conveyed his “affectionate congratulations for this historic victory” to Maduro, whom he described as his “brother,” and he reiterated the Island’s commitment to “be with the Bolivarian and Chavista Revolution.”
Nor did Raúl Castro miss the opportunity. According to a note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he spoke by phone with Maduro to convey his “solidarity and affection.”
“We congratulate the Venezuelan people and President Nicolas Maduro for the electoral victory of this historic July 28. Great way to remember Commander Hugo Chávez” – Luis Arce, president of Bolivia
The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, during his usual morning address on Monday, called the official data confirming Maduro’s win as “information” but avoided formally congratulating him while waiting for the votes to be counted and to “see what the legal process shows.”
For their part, other governments friendly to Caracas, starting with the Bolivian Luis Arce and the Nicaraguans Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, husband and president and wife and vice president respectively, followed the line of Havana and had no qualms about congratulating Chavismo on its victory.
The spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Iran, Naser Kananí, also sent a message congratulating the Venezuelan regime on its election. “We congratulate the people and the government of Venezuela for the successful celebration of the presidential elections in the country, as well as the president-elect of the Venezuelan people,” he said on X.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran renews its support and solidarity with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to advance its national development programs and strengthen bilateral cooperation” – Naser Kananí, Iranian Foreign Minister
The spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Lin Jian, added at a press conference that China and Venezuela are “good friends and partners who support each other.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin also congratulated Maduro in a statement. “I would like to reiterate the willingness to continue our joint constructive work on the current bilateral and international agenda. Remember that you are always welcome on Russian lands,” said the Kremlin.
Former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, who currently resides in Belgium, also sent an emotional message to Maduro. “Glory to the brave people! Now it’s official,” he said when reviewing the results of the first report. “Congratulations to President Maduro and the Venezuelan people.”
The European Union (EU) also marked the line that, apparently, its member states will follow, with Spain and Italy being the first to position themselves. “It is vital to ensure the total transparency of the electoral process, including the detailed counting of votes and access to the voting records of the polling stations,” wrote the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell.
Many countries were concerned about the results, including the United States and Chile. From Tokyo, the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, expressed his “serious concern” about the validity of the announced results and questioned the legitimacy of the process as well as the representation of the “will” of the voters.
Blinken said: “We have serious concerns that the results announced do not reflect the votes or the will of the Venezuelan people”
Likewise, Chilean President Gabriel Boric spoke out against the results, classifying them as “difficult to believe.” Boric said in the early hours of Monday that his country will not recognize “any result that is not verifiable.”
Others have joined the list of governments that have condemned the electoral results in Venezuela and have expressed their doubts about the process, including Peru, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Panama. The latter even announced that it will “suspend” diplomatic relations with the Venezuela.
The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, rejected the Venezuelan electoral results in the early hours of Monday. Milei said that his country “will not recognize another fraud” in Venezuela and argued that the citizens of that country “chose to end the communist dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro.”
Through his account on the social network X, Milei published: “Argentina will not recognize another fraud and hopes that the Armed Forces (of Venezuela) this time will defend democracy and the popular will,” emphasizing that this was his position even before the official CNE results were known. This earned an immediate response from Maduro who at a celebratory event, early Sunday morning, attacked Milei, calling him a “fascist Nazi.”
In Brazil, the Government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva celebrated the “peaceful character” of the elections but said it will wait for the totality of the results before pronouncing itself. According to a note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the country is waiting for the publication of all the results “detailed by polling station.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
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