The United States officially recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez as president-elect of the country on Tuesday, Nov. 19, months after President Nicolas Maduro controversially declared victory in the July 2024 presidential election. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recognized Gonzalez as the Venezuelan president in a post on X and demanded that the country “respect the will of the voters.”
The Biden administration previously acknowledged Gonzalez won the most votes in the presidential election but failed to declare him president-elect until the week of Nov. 18.
“We deeply appreciate the recognition of the sovereign will of all Venezuelans,” Gonzalez wrote. “This gesture honors the desire for change of our people and the civic feat that we carried out together on July 28.”
As Straight Arrow News previously reported, Gonzalez has been exiled to Spain after a warrant for his arrest was issued by the Maduro regime.
Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yvan Gil responded to Blinken’s acknowledgement by launching a personal attack against Maduro.
“In the last days of his government, he should dedicate himself to reflecting on his failures, getting rid of imperial and colonial complexes and going to write the memoirs of how the Bolivarian Revolution made him bite the dust of defeat, just like his predecessors,” Gil said in a statement.
Gil made no mention of the disputed election results.
Maduro has denied requests from the United States and other nations to show voting records backing up his claims of victory. Meanwhile, Maduro has led a reportedly “brutal crackdown” on his political opponents as he maintains power in the country.
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