The European Union has announced that it will not recognize the results of Venezuela’s latest presidential election until all votes have been counted and verified.
This stance comes amid concerns over the integrity of the vote and lack of transparency in the electoral process.
NewsNGR reported that the electoral commission in Venezuela, on Sunday, announced that President Nicolas Maduro had won a third term in office with 51 percent of the vote to extend a quarter-century of socialist rule.
The electoral commission announced the results based on 80 percent of the ballots counted, while the opposition published different results. This discrepancy has led to protests and violence, resulting in at least 11 deaths.
According to EU High Representative Josep Borrell, “We cannot recognize the results until all votes are counted and verified. We need to ensure the integrity of the vote and transparency in the electoral process.
“That is an additional reason for not recognising the results until they will be fully and independently verified.”
NewsNGR also reported that protesters took to the streets in Venezuela on Tuesday, demanding that Maduro acknowledge he lost the election, as a major international observer concluded the vote was undemocratic.
The international community is closely watching the situation, with the U.S.-based Carter Center stating that the election could not be considered democratic as it “did not meet international standards of electoral integrity”.