Venezuela severs diplomatic relations with several Latin American countries amid election dispute

By Jorge Antonio Rocha

MEXICO CITY (AA) - The Venezuelan government announced Monday a diplomatic standstill with several Latin American countries following the preliminary results of Sunday's elections, which gave President Nicolas Maduro six more years in power.

The leader of Maduro's opposition, María Corina Machado, disavowed the preliminary results presented by the electoral council, denouncing alleged fraud and stating that Edmundo González won the presidential elections with 70% of the votes.

In its statement, the Venezuelan government announced the withdrawal of all diplomatic staff from the embassies of Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, Dominican Republic, and Uruguay.

Venezuelan authorities also demanded that the countries accused of intervention withdraw their diplomatic representatives from Venezuelan territory.

The diplomatic rift emerged after different Latin American leaders cast doubt on the election results, which gave victory to Maduro, who secured his reelection for a third term with 50.2% of the vote.

The Venezuelan government, which has been antagonistic to the United States since the rise to power of Hugo Chavez, has accused these countries of surrendering to US interests.

"The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela expresses its firmest rejection of the interference and declarations of a group of right-wing governments, subordinated to Washington and openly committed to the most deafening ideological postulates of international fascism," read the statement.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that following the preliminary electoral results, the US has "serious concerns" regarding Maduro's virtual reelection.

A number of Latin American countries, such as Uruguay, Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and the Dominican Republic, have urged an emergency meeting with the Organization of American States (OAS) to call for a thorough review of the results.