Chilean president rejects Venezuela election results, casts doubt on Maduro victory

By Sinan Dogan

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) — Chile declared Wednesday that it does not recognize the reelection of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, expressing doubts about the legitimacy of the recent presidential election's official results.

Speaking to reporters, Chilean President Gabriel Boric accused Venezuela's National Electoral Council of withholding official records related to the July 28 polls which he said raises suspicions of electoral fraud.

"Neither I, nor the Chilean government have any doubt that the Maduro administration attempted to manipulate the election results. If they had genuinely won, they would have released the records publicly," Boric said.

He also addressed claims by the fellow Latin American country's opposition that they had won the election, emphasizing that his government would not accept any side's declaration as official until the results were confirmed by impartial international bodies.

Referring to Chile's previous administration, which had recognized former opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's president, Boric noted, "I believe it is crucial to learn from past mistakes. We should avoid repeating the same errors, as most countries now understand."

"Let me be clear. We do not recognize Maduro's self-proclaimed victory and do not trust the neutrality of the current Venezuelan institutions," he added.

The Venezuelan government responded to Chile's stance by demanding on July 30 that Santiago immediately withdraw its diplomatic personnel from Caracas.

According to Venezuela's National Electoral Council, Maduro secured a third term last month with 51.2% of the vote. However, opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado have rejected the results.