Venezuela: Both Sides Reject International Calls for New Elections

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AUG 16 2024

Above: Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro shows a document while speaking to the press after appearing before the electoral chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice during a press conference on August 9, 2024 in Caracas, Venezuela. Image copyright: Jesus Vargas/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Imagesstory last updated AUG 18 2024

The Facts

Nicolás Maduro's ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), as well as the opposition camp, have rejected calls from Brazil and Colombia for either fresh elections or a power-sharing deal to solve the ongoing political crisis.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado argued Thursday such plans would be "an insult" to the people, while her supporters rallied on Saturday to denounce official results as voting data has yet to be released three weeks after the election.
Also on Thursday, Maduro stressed that other countries should not meddle in the internal affairs of Venezuela and engage in "microphone diplomacy." Pro-PSUV rallies were also expected to take place on Saturday to celebrate his victory.

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

González is the rightful president-elect of Venezuela — and any observer of the vote agrees to that — so a new election only serves the interest of the Maduro dictatorship. World democracies must join forces to put pressure on Maduro to respect the true election result and leave office, not to call for a fresh vote whose outcome Maduro would also fail to respect.

Council on Foreign Relations

Establishment-critical narrative

Venezuela is a sovereign nation with well-established democratic processes and institutions, so internal problems must be solved without the meddling of any foreign government. It's outrageous that the world is falling for fraud claims from the country's far-right, which are essentially the same thing their allies in Brazil and the US resorted to in previous elections.

Peoples Dispatch