US Won’t Accept Venezuela Election Result

State Dept. Demands Full Recount

The Obama Administration has announced that they won’t accept the results of Venezuela’s weekend election, in which President-elect Nicolas Maduro narrowly defeated pro-US candidate Henrique Capriles.

The US State Department says that they want a “full recount” and say it was unacceptable for the National Election Council to certify the result before granting the US the recount it wants.

An anonymous US official conceded that no recount was likely, but said that the US was pretty much obliged to complain about the result so long as Capriles wants a recount.

Capriles has refused to concede defeat and has called public protests. Seven people have been killed in violence related to the protests, and Maduro says he holds the US responsible, believing the US embassy has funded the incidents.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.