Venezuelan opposition leader González Urrutia thanks U.S. for recognizing him as presidential election's winner
Venezuela's opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia thanked the U.S. after Secretary of State Antony Blinken recognized him as the president-elect, saying their was evidence he won the majority of votes.
Venezuela's opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia thanked the U.S. on Friday for recognizing him as the official winner of Sunday's controversial presidential election, in which both González Urrutia and President Nicolás Maduro claimed victory.
"We thank the United States for recognizing the will of the Venezuelan people reflected in our electoral victory and for supporting the process of restoring democratic norms in Venezuela," González Urrutia wrote on X.
The United States' recognition of González Urrutia as Venezuela's president-elect is based on evidence the opposition released this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday night.
The opposition published more than 80% of electoral tally sheets they directly received from polling stations throughout Venezuela on Election Day. Those tallies show that González Urrutia obtained 66% of the votes while Maduro received about 31%, according to a site NBC News accessed on Wednesday where the opposition released the results of their count.
"Those tally sheets indicate that Edmundo González Urrutia received the most votes in this election by an insurmountable margin," Blinken said in a statement Thursday. "Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo González Urrutia won."
Rating: 5