The office of the Italian Prime Minister reported that seven EU member states, including Italy, France, Germany, and Spain, have urged Venezuelan authorities to swiftly publish the electoral vote records to ensure full transparency regarding the elections held last week. The Venezuelan electoral council announced that President Nicolás Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, won the election held on July 28 with 51 percent of the votes, prompting immediate allegations of fraud from the opposition. The opposition claims it conducted a detailed count of votes showing that opposition candidate Edmundo González likely received 67 percent of the votes.
The European Union countries' call comes amid a wave of external criticism of the Venezuelan government's handling of the elections. Some countries, including the United States and Argentina, have recognized González's victory in the elections. Additionally, foreign ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized nations expressed solidarity with the people of Venezuela and concern about the declared election results.
The statement from EU countries, which also includes Portugal, the Netherlands, and Poland, said: "We urge Venezuelan authorities to immediately publish all vote records to confirm full transparency and the integrity of the electoral process." The opposition states that it has counted and published over 80 percent of the electoral vote records at each polling station, adding that "this verification is an essential necessity for recognizing the will of the Venezuelan people."
