Maria Corina Machado thanks the European Union for its statement

Opposition leader María Corina Machado thanked the high representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, for “demanding that popular sovereignty be respected” in Venezuela, after the official warned that “only complete and independently verifiable results” of the July 28 elections will be accepted and recognized.

“We Venezuelans reiterate our gratitude to the 27 countries of the European Union and to its High Representative for Foreign Affairs for demanding that popular sovereignty be respected and, thus, advancing the transition to democracy,” wrote Machado in X.

The former deputy reiterated that the standard-bearer of the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), Edmundo González Urrutia, is the “president-elect,” despite the fact that the National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed Nicolás Maduro the winner, which was validated by the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), institutions controlled by people close to Chavismo.

Message from Maria Corina Machado after the European Union’s statement

«On July 28, despite threats and abuses, we turned out en masse to vote and elected Edmundo González Urrutia as president of Venezuela. Within 24 hours we published the official minutes that demonstrate our immense victory, and the world has already verified them. Now, it is time to move forward in recognizing Edmundo González as president-elect and build the conditions for a negotiated transition»Machado added.

Photo: Screenshot

Despite Maduro’s announced victory, the PUD insists on the “victory” of its standard-bearer based on “83.5% of the minutes” that it claims to have obtained through witnesses and table members, papers that it published on a website that the Prosecutor’s Office is investigating for alleged “conspiracy” and “usurpation of functions,” among other crimes, for which it summoned González Urrutia to appear on Monday.

What did the European Union say about the situation in Venezuela?

In a statement on behalf of the EU, Borrell said on Saturday that “to this day, the Venezuelan authorities have not provided the public evidence necessary to assess the electoral process according to the standards set by the UN panel of experts.”

Precisely, the interim report of this group of experts, invited by the CNE“has highlighted the lack of justification for the announced results,” said the head of European diplomacy.

He also noted that, according to “the publicly available copies of the minutes, Edmundo González Urrutia would appear to be the winner of the presidential elections by a significant majority.”

These statements were rejected by Maduro’s government, which accused Borrell of supporting a “fascist coup d’état” and warned the EU that its “continued disrespect for the sovereignty and independence of Venezuela and its public powers” could become “a new leap into the void that will considerably affect diplomatic, political and economic relations.”