On Thursday, the State Department said that Edmundo González Urrutia won Sunday’s presidential election. The Venezuelan government election agency announced that President Nicolas Maduro had won a third term.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed that Urrutia won the election by an “insurmountable margin.” “The announcement of results by the Maduro-controlled National Electoral Council (CNE) were deeply flawed, yielding an announced outcome that does not represent the will of the Venezuelan people,” America’s top diplomat said.
Blinken’s statement continued, “Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo González Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election.”
The Secretary explained his conclusion was drawn from a report from the Carter Center, named for former US President Jimmy Carter. Blinken asserted the institute was “independent.” However, the Carter Center is funded by multiple US government agencies, including the State Department.
Over the past two decades, Washington has made multiple attempts to overthrow Maduro, and his predecessor, Hugo Chavez. Under President Donald Trump, the White House backed Juan Guaido’s claim to the presidency in Caracas.
Along with multiple coup attempts, the US has unleashed an economic war on Venezuela that has contributed to the people’s economic hardships. Washington’s sanctions have contributed to tens of thousands of deaths for impoverished Venezuelans.
On Monday, the Venezuelan CNE reported that Maduro won a slight majority of votes, 51.2%, beating Urrutia by around 700,000 votes. While the US and Peru have denied these results, a number of other countries, including China, have endorsed Maduro’s victory.
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com, news editor of the Libertarian Institute, and co-host of Conflicts of Interest.
Interestingly US-based observers say that the election was a "model process" which should be "imitated around the world". The Carter Center's criticism is that the government didn't immediately release the precinct-level vote tallies, to my knowledge they have no actual wrongdoing to point at.
Adding a link to Carter Center comments
https://www.cartercenter.org/news/pr/2024/venezuela-073024.html
Huh, they consider low media coverage of minor party candidates an issue. Amusing, since the vast majority of the media in Venezuela is privately owned with no government controls. Not sure how they can blame the government for that. Too, if parties change their leadership that also is not the fault of the government, and the removal of one of the main opposition candidates from the slate by the election commission was because of her felony conviction, not “arbitrary decisions of the CNE, without respecting basic legal principles.”
Too bad, the Carter Center used to be seen as one of world’s most independent election observer groups when President Carter was still associated with it. At that time President Carter called the Venezuelan process “the best in the world.”
"… the removal of one of the main opposition candidates from the slate by the election commission was because of her felony conviction."
Now in what kind of backwards backwater banana republic does a felony conviction bar someone from running for President ? How un-American can these-there Venezuelans GET ??!
Her felony was giving support to one of the coup attempts, no less. She has a history of requesting that the US invade to replace the government and privatize the petroleum industry.
… and she supports the genocide of Gaza. Seems she's the perfect NeoconNazi candidate.
While Venezuela threw out Israel’s entire embassy staff back in 2009 for their continual atrocities, spying, and for working with the coup plotters.
"Her felony was giving support to one of the coup attempts"
Again, that seems like a very American thing to do.
Her felony was giving support to one of the coup attempts, no less. She has a history of requesting that the US invade to replace the government and privatize the petroleum industry.
Wow, I think she's got another felony conviction on its way. Turns out she hired thugs all over the country to loot, burn tires and pretend to be voters protesting the election.
"…she hired thugs all over the country to loot, burn tires and pretend to be voters protesting the election."
Still…I mean, she's still within Trump's "Divine legal right" to run for a Presidency.
And from where, I wonder, came the money to hire those thugs?
Could it be, Satan?
Or, could it be the NED/AID/CIA?
She’s been associated with the narcos in Colombia for years, both the FARC and the right-wingers. She appears to be an equal-opportunity greed head.
Same difference };-)>
Wow, this is interesting.
https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/08/02/venezuela-an-attempted-coup-by-any-other-name/
Part of the reason why precinct level voting results aren't available is a huge cyberattack based in Macedonia (a center for mercenary crackers).
Also, Machado, the person kept off the ballot, has directly caused the civil unrest after the election. Not by exhorting crowds or dispatching her followers, but by HIRING criminal gangs and narco-paramilitaries to cause disruptions and attack leaders of the governing party. They've caught over a thousand of them, all alive, and since these are just hired hands they're talking. I'll be very surprised if she doesn't end up in prison this time if she doesn't run to Miami (like the former CIA-corrupted Attorney General did).
"…based in Macedonia…"
Dammit, that place went to s**t after Alexander the Great.
Still hitting above their average, they’re one of the top locations for mercenary crackers and cybercriminals, as well as being a major transshipment point for the weapons being smuggled out of Ukraine.
Just like the last election that America tried to over turn in venezuela. perhaps if the u.s. keeps starving venezuelans, they will change their minds, but it didn't work last time.
The last election every single country on the planet recognized the results of the election, except the Untied States.
Blinken Says ICC Arrest Warrants on Israeli Leaders ‘Extremely Wrongheaded’
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-21/blinken-says-icc-israeli-arrest-warrants-extremely-wrongheaded
Biden borrowed another page from Trump. But it probably won't matter. If Maduro didn't already have enough reasons to replace the US with China as Venezuela's most important trading partner, he does now.
I would think the US State Department waited too long to declare who they wanted to win. They should have followed MSM's election-coverage playbook and said, "With 1% of the vote counted, we call this election in favor of" Urrutia.
Biden is doing in Venezuela what he claims Trump did here. Election denial and overturning democratic election results. Liar.
Another deafeat for yanks…! On the second count, Maduro got almost 52% of the votes, while Gonzales received a little over 43%…!
In the Trump-o-verse, aren't elections like golf ? Lowest score wins ?
In Trump world, the lowest score loses… and his higher score wins since he doesn't like losing…!
This is good news for Edmundo González Urrutia. He's now qualified for membership in that most elite organization, The Pretenders' Club. He can now join Juan Guido and Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, those famous pretend heads of state sponsored by the US government.
Almost every day we learn anew just how much "free & fair elections" are worth. And when our own pay-to-play polscum presume to preach to others and scold their practices, one's gag reflex is numb. The absurd falsity of their posturing is patent, but indignation has given way to sullen waiting and working for paradigm shift, … and Russia to save civilization once more.
Maduro is safe. Russia is helping keep the American Neo Nazis away. Pregozhin did a great job ensuring Maduro can survive western backed coup.
No worries here. It’s all just western noise.
Venezuelan's vote party not candidate and they like the United Socialist Party.
Well, if he funds the military and other key groups, he remains in power.
What he said recently about inviting in foreign investment sounds good. That’s what Venezuela needs, something to trade for what it doesn’t have.
Venezuela has an advanced form of government the US is afraid might become a model for the world and the US itself.
see https://www.constituentassembly.org/Contents.en/website-contents.en.html
overwhelming evidence?
That is so farcical as to be shameful.
When Blinken et al. apply modifiers like overwhelming, you can be confident that their intent is to suppress rational, objective discourse.
U.S. should focus on its own election where it’s being viewed as less trustworthy by the day.
We allow things even Venezuela wouldn’t. I don’t claim to know whether the results are reliable.
Only Biden, of all people, claims the results are wrong.
they say that all the time if their candidate lost.
Maduro needs to close the consulate and embassy were the CIA types sit with diplomatic protections, he should send the NGOs where they came from back to hell.
“Only Biden, of all people, claims the results are wrong.”
Well, yes, Biden.
And the EU.
And the Organization of American States.
And the German government.
And the Hungarian government.
And the Japanese government.
And the Italian government, the Norwegian government, the Portuguese government, the Spanish government, the Ukrainian government, the UK government, the Canadian government, the Argentinian government, the Brazilian government, the Chilean government, the Colombian government, the Costa Rican government, the Ecuadorean government, the El Salvadoran government, the Guatemalan government, the Guyanan government, the Mexican government, the Panamanian government, the Paraguayan government, the Peruvian government, and the Uruguayan government. But yeah, other than that and probably some others I missed, only Biden.
Many nations are are expressing doubt and calling for transparency.
I think the US and a handful of right wing allies are alone in declaring the opposition candidate, Edmundo González, the winner.
It's pre-emptive interference that follows a decades long pattern of US subversion in Venezuela, including fomenting a several coup attempts.
No doubt that US is currently busy funneling funds and other "support" to the opposition to enable an overthrow of Maduro.
Maduro may have stolen the election, but it's not up to Uncle Sammy to declare the winner of another nation's election.
“Maduro may have stolen the election, but it’s not up to Uncle Sammy to declare the winner of another nation’s election.”
I agree 100%.
But it’s also silly for regular people to pretend that the Chavez/Maduro regimes, which have been garden variety caudillo dictatorships, constitute some kind of “advanced form of democracy” just because, like many other garden variety caudillo dictatorships, they’ve at times (though not lately) enjoyed substantial popular support.
Perhaps caudillo , but definitely not garden variety. Few caudillos are left wing socialist, enact massive anti-poverty programs and excoriate the nation’s elites.
I think “dictatorship” is also an exaggeration, but not a huge one.
I really don’t get why we need so many embassies. I know it’s a stupid question I’m supposed to be embarrassed about for asking, but I’d try to have none. Just get one another’s digits. Have an encrypted video chat. What might be neat is to publish a newsletter from each polity, to allow each a message to the respective population.
To be honest, I somewhat expect Maduro cheated, but so what? Why is voting so sacred?
Biden's gonna stand up for democracy!
He's on it!
He's dialing Fidel Castro to protest the outrageous tampering with the bullet boxes in Bolivia!
};-)>
I declare Alfred E. Newman the real President of the United States in the general election of 2020!
Who trusts anything coming from Zionist Blinken? Why is this our business, when our courts refuse to hear anything about voter fraud for the 2020 election? If our Government can NOT recertify, recount ballots for our own elections, when the outcome is questionable, why trust their counting anyplace? Maduro is bad, his economy went bust due to our sanctions, but it's his people who get to choose, NOT our hypocritical Government.
Ginah, Maduro is considered bad because he is not our boy, the economy is bad because of sanctions as you posted. The election results are recognized around the world where the US is considered a pariah state.
The USA simply declares the election illegal, what if someone did that to the US, we do have a criminal government and Jan.6, 2020 happened in Washington not Caracas.
As far as I know, Maduro has a clean reputation, a man with decency, more honorable than the war criminals in the WH.
They demonize him to justify another criminal regime change.
We'll see how that supposed election fraud looks like in the US for the coming months till the end!
This fall, Venezuela should declare Trump the winner.
The fed gov is clearly an inbred uniparty squid. Pretending its Willfully unchecked authority for intentional avoiding of accountability makes it anyone Elses Authority too is the dumbest thing Thinking Americans can do.
We have no rationally thinking Americans in government.
I think they’re rational and they’re just colluding with STAKEHOLDER CORPORATIONS against Americans while taking Americans taxes to give to their illegals. I think they’ve setup some series of premeditated events to run the nation and its public thru to help them destroy the old systems and implement their new systems, but they want to do it all without being held accountable, and that should be one of those “Over my dead body” type deals. Accountability or REVOLUTION.
The big problem with that idea is that immigrants — including "illegals," if there was such a thing, though the US Constitution says there isn't — pay more in taxes per capita and receive less in government benefits per capita than native-born Americans. You're not subsidizing them, they're subsidizing you.
Really? You might be to stupid to understand what is plainly objectively observable. Tell me where the illegals go work that reduces the Taxes the Clown Fed Gov imposes on Working Citizens? Actually skip it, with your comment you’re already to stupid to take seriously, regardless what other rubbish you come up with.
Another part of the issue is the cheap labor keeping wages down.
The working people are always the losers. As Rosa Luxemburg said: Profits go up and people go down. Still true.
Sure, if by "issue" you mean "fantasy," since real wages in the US were the highest they'd ever been as of 2020, and at the moment are higher than they've ever been before with the exception of 2020 and 2021.
They are stupid, they are still digging the hole they started digging deep for Hugo Chavez in 1999 or so until he died a natural death in 2013. Assassinations did not work, regime change did not work, the people kept electing him. The people support Maduros, he is their man, but deranged people keep digging the same hole. Kudos to the people of Venezuela and for Maduros, the people want to make a living at home not in the USA.
If Trump gets elected he may call on Bolton again to foul up the regime change again.
The criminal sanctions create more resistance, and really magnify the evil of the Americans forcing them to go north.
What justifies the evil of the Biden sanctions, what have the Venezuelans done to the USA?
Gotta say The Venezuelans should tell the Americans to fawk off with their manipulations, but theres always some incumbent wealthy tool being used by the Americans to shoe-horn their own agenda into play in the target nations they take aim at. I think all National Governments were co-opted during the last decade pushing globalism, now they’ll step back, pretend they didn’t all come into alignment and then use each national gov against whatever national public to continue to foster the context they want that produces the Changes they are trying to implement. Its why the Wef butt boy harari suddenly changed his tune from we’re winning, to the globalists have been defeated. If people think they’ve been beaten, which is the same tripe fullashitford pushes on his blogs, then people will stop trying to Take it to Account. It all needs to be taken to account and the cuntrollers need to be publicly prosecuted and punished or we skip all that and go straight to the revolution. Its not like they’re going to back off due their own internal audit.
And the ruling elite gets away with it, they own the media internationally which controls almost all public information.
It is like cloned mind control in Germany, US, UK, France and the others even the leadership is like mirror images, Biden, Zelensky, and Scholz are all the same, there is no leadership they get their orders from Tel Aviv.
Blinken and Baerbock and Cameron all three are really the most stupid foreign secretaries of state in history, and all of them are traitors of the nations they should serve, in the UK the same trash is in charge of government.
It will take unconditional surrender to see another Nurnberg tribunal.
They won’t get away with it for much longer. People see that the avenues for remedy are blocked at every turn and policies that are anti-american are held in place till the Citizens get bled dry… Once people have had enough of this bullshit one way broadcast, they’ll start finding the clowns funding this shitshow and start putting them down wherever they are. I’d say we’re there Now. Hopefully Americans sort out the Americunts.
Our elections here at home are rigged enough to put a criminal syndicate in power, a whole Mafia gang. I see Jan. 6 with different eyes now, I now think it was a rigged election and not the first one either, the same is true for European states, the criminal CIA agents are sitting in every embassy and make it possible including assassinations. So why not rig elections at home?
On a playground there was a bully who was brilliant in kindergarten, but fell to the bottom of the special needs classes.
Even though he was not that bright he insisted on telling everyone including the Bear and Panda how to live their lives and what to think.
His following of a French frog and English halfwit dog insisted on following his lead. He insisted on choosing an equally retarded girl as his successor.
Instead of using his claws the Bear just laughed at the senile retarded bully and built a following of most others. The bear treated all the others with respect for their culture and existence.
Soon the bully, the cackling girl, the frog and the halfwit dog were shunned by all the others on the playground. They kept sanctioning others until they themselves were isolated and strewing in their misery.
The Bear and the Panda ignored the bully and his few minions as they were no longer accepted by anyone on the playground.