US calls Venezuela opposition’s Gonzalez ‘president-elect’

The United States said Tuesday it recognises opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as president-elect of Venezuela – the first time it called him that – four months after a disputed election in which incumbent Nicolas Maduro claimed victory amid accusations of fraud.

The statement from Secretary of State Antony Blinken prompted a furious reaction from Caracas, which dismissed it as “ridiculous”.

“The Venezuelan people spoke resoundingly on July 28 and made (Gonzalez) the president-elect,” Blinken wrote in a post on X. “Democracy demands respect for the will of the voters.”

The statement marked the first time the United States has referred to Gonzalez with that title, although President Joe Biden has previously said he won the election.

Responding on X, Gonzalez said he was grateful for the US recognition. “This gesture honours the change in our country and the civic feat that we carried out together this past July 28.”

Maduro claimed victory in the election and defied intense domestic and international pressure to release detailed polling numbers to back up the assertion.