Argentina and Uruguay recognizes Venezuela opposition candidate as president-elect

BUENOS AIRES/MONTEVIDEO: The governments of Argentina and Urguay both recognized opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as the president-elect of Venezuela on Friday (Aug 2), rejecting the victory of incumbent Nicolas Maduro.
“Based on the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to Uruguay that Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia obtained the majority of votes in Venezuela’s presidential elections. We hope that the will of the Venezuelan people is respected,” Foreign Minister Omar Paganini wrote on the social network X.
“We can all confirm, without a doubt, that the legitimate winner and president-elect is Edmundo Gonzalez,” Argentina foreign minister Diana Mondino posted on X, after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was declared the official victor of Sunday’s election – a contested result that defied pre-election polls and has drawn global criticism.
Mondino said the decision was taken after the opposition published official voting records from Sunday’s election online.
Argentina and Uruguay join the United States and Peru who have also recognized Gonzalez Urrutia as the rightful victor of the election.
After a vote tainted by concerns of fraud and repression of the opposition, election authorities declared Maduro the winner with 51 per cent of the votes.
The opposition claims that it has copies of more than 80 per cent of ballots cast and that Gonzalez Urrutia obtained 67 per cent of the vote.
Argentina is among eight critical Latin American countries whose diplomatic staff were asked to leave the country. Caracas also withdrew its staff from those countries.
Brazil has assumed custody of the Argentine embassy, which is housing six opposition exiles, as well as the Peruvian embassy.