7 EU member states call on Venezuela for transparency regarding election results

The Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Poland, and Portugal, seven European Union (EU) member states, expressed concern over the events following the election process in Venezuela in a joint written statement.

Calling on Venezuelan authorities to release all official vote tally sheets, the countries stated that the opposition's allegations of electoral fraud must be investigated.

The statement, which included the phrase, "The rights of all Venezuelans, especially political leaders, must be respected during this process," invited the Venezuelan administration to exercise restraint toward protesters.

Condemning the arrests and violence against protesters, the statement noted, "The will of the Venezuelan people, their right to peaceful protest, and freedom of assembly must also be respected. We will continue to closely monitor the situation with our partners and support the Venezuelan people's call for democracy and peace."

ELECTIONS IN VENEZUELA

A presidential election was held in Venezuela on July 28.

According to the results announced by the Venezuelan National Electoral Council, Nicolas Maduro won the presidential election for the third time with 51.20 percent of the vote.

Following the conclusion of the election, the opposition issued a statement on July 29, claiming that the National Electoral Council data was inaccurate and that the results had been manipulated.