US urges Venezuela’s electoral body to release 'full, transparent' voting results

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US has been "closely" monitoring Sunday's Venezuela’s presidential election and announcements by the National Electoral Council, the White House said Tuesday.

"We continue to call for Venezuela’s electoral authorities to release full, transparent, and detailed voting results, including by polling station.

"This is especially critical given that there are clear signs that the election results announced by Venezuela’s National Electoral Council do not reflect the will of the Venezuelan people as it was expressed at the ballot box on July 28," National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

The US is also reviewing other electoral data shared by civil society organizations and reports by international election monitors, said Watson.

"The United States stands on the side of the democratic aspirations of the Venezuelan people, including supporting their right to express their views freely and without reprisal," she added.

President Nicolas Maduro, 61, was declared the winner of the election Sunday, giving him a third term in office.

Maduro secured 51% of the vote against 44% received by opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez. The opposition, led by Maria Corina Machado, rejected the results, claiming they did not correspond to the votes cast.

The results have triggered protests by opposition supporters in Caracas and other cities. ​​​​​​​The opposition has denounced alleged fraud, claiming Gonzalez won with 70% of the vote.