Brazilian, Colombian presidents suggest new elections for Venezuela

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Colombian President Gustavo Petro suggested Thursday that new elections be held in Venezuela as a possible solution to the crisis in the South American country.

The proposal, also endorsed by US President Joe Biden on Thursday, comes amid questions about the reelection of President Nicolas Maduro, who was proclaimed the winner of Venezuela's July 28 poll by the government-controlled electoral authority amid opposition allegations of widespread fraud.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was quick to reject the call for new elections.

“There will be a second election, but if Maduro does not like the results, what do we do? A third? A fourth? A fifth, until Maduro likes the results? she asked when speaking to media outlets in Chile and Argentina. “To propose to ignore what happened on July 28, for me, is a lack of respect for the Venezuelans who have given everything and who expressed popular sovereignty.”

Machado warned that “if Maduro prolongs this agony for more months, we could be seeing the largest wave of migration in Venezuela’s history.” She pointed out that “3, 4 or 5 million Venezuelans would be crossing the border.”

Machado said the opposition is willing to offer guarantees and safeguards to those in power, stressing that it is not seeking to initiate “a process of revenge.”

Brazil and neighboring Colombia have been seeking a solution to the crisis in Venezuela since the disputed elections.

The country's electoral authority declared Maduro the winner with 51% of the vote, although it has not yet released the vote count.

The opposition said its detailed count shows Maduro´s opponent, Edmundo Gonzalez, received 67% of the vote and has posted scanned copies of the vote count on a website.

The election has been widely condemned by countries and international observers, including the Carter Center in the US and the UN.

American officials have said available data suggests Gonzalez defeated Maduro.

Opposition leaders are calling on Venezuelans to take to the streets on Aug. 17 to demand that the government recognize Gonzalez as the winner of the elections.

Doubts about the transparency of the Venezuelan electoral process have generated protests across the country that have left 25 people dead, 192 injured and more than 2,000 detained.