US does not recognize Maduro as Venezuelan President, says opposition leader Gonzalez won presidential race

The United States has dismissed the victory of Nicolas Maduro in the Venezuelan presidential election, instead recognizing opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the winner, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said.

Presidential election was staged in Venezuela on July 28. The following day, the electoral authorities declared Maduro the president-elect for the 2025-2031 term. According to the Electoral Council, Maduro secured 51% of the votes.

Following the announcement, violent clashes erupted in Caracas, with demonstrators protesting against the results and engaging in fights with the police. 

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, 77 police officers sustained wounds during the unrest. Additionally, 1,062 people were arrested and charged with damaging state infrastructure, inciting terrorism. 

“Electoral data overwhelmingly demonstrate the will of the Venezuelan people: democratic opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez won the most votes in Sunday’s election. Venezuelans have voted, and their votes must count,” Blinken wrote on X.

In a separate statement, he has outlined that Washington denies Maduro’s allegations against opposition leaders, including Gonzalez and Maria Corina Machado. The latter has been banned from running for president in 2014 after her call for external interference in Venezuela.

The Venezuelan government, in turn, claimed that some countries had interfered in the voting. In the meantime, vote tally sheets released by Venezuela’s main opposition last week indicated that Gonzalez had received significantly more votes in the election than the official data showed, raising potential doubts about Maduro’s victory.