He will remain Venezuela’s de facto president, according to Josep Borrell
EU foreign ministers have decided not to recognize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s “democratic legitimacy” following the country’s election last month, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said at a press conference on Thursday.
Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry has previously criticized the EU’s failure to respect the South American nation’s sovereignty and independence, warning that this could negatively impact diplomatic relations.
Maduro won 52% of the vote in a presidential election in July, securing a third term. However, the opposition has alleged that the election was rigged. Maduro’s main rival, Western-backed Edmundo Gonzalez, was officially recognized by the US as Venezuela’s president-elect earlier this month.
According to Borrell, who invited Gonzalez to the EU meeting, the ministers made their decision because Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) did not respond to their requests for credible election data.
The CNE declared on July 28 that Maduro had officially won the country’s presidential election and ratified his victory.
Russia, China, and Caracas’ regional allies have congratulated the incumbent on his victory. However, the Venezuelan opposition, most Latin American states, and the G7 nations have refused to recognize the results, expressing “serious concerns” about the integrity of the electoral process.
“We cannot accept the legitimacy of Maduro as elected president,” Borrell told reporters in Brussels. “He will remain president, de facto … But we deny democratic legitimacy based on a result that cannot be verified,” the diplomat claimed, emphasizing that Thursday’s decision is a “strong statement” by the EU.
Euronews cited a diplomatic source as saying that there was no consensus among the EU ministers to recognize the electoral victory of Gonzales.
Caracas has launched a criminal investigation against Gonzales and other opposition leaders for inciting “insurrection” with false claims of electoral victory and calls for street protests.
According to the government, over 20 people have been killed and over 190 injured in election-related riots, while over 2,400 people have been arrested.
Caracas has accused Washington of planning another coup in Venezuela. The US similarly refused to recognize the 2018 election and recognized lawmaker Juan Guaido as “interim president,” confiscating Venezuelan gold and other assets on his behalf. The Venezuelan opposition voted to dissolve his “interim government” in December 2022, after which Guaido faded from public view.