President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Monday that Mexico would respect the result of the presidential election in Venezuela, as announced by the country’s National Electoral Council (CNE).
A few hours later, the CNE announced that incumbent President Nicolás Maduro of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela had won a third six-year term in office, triggering protests in the poverty-stricken nation.
Incomplete and hotly disputed results released Sunday showed that Maduro attracted 51.2% of the vote, seven points ahead of main opposition candidate Edmundo González.
López Obrador told his morning press conference that the Mexican government was awaiting the conclusion of Venezuela’s vote-counting process and the official announcement of the election results.
“If the electoral authority confirms this trend, we will recognize the government elected by the people of Venezuela because that’s democracy,” he said.
The head of the CNE, Elvis Amoroso, is a close ally of Maduro, who succeeded Hugo Chávez as president of Venezuela when Chávez died in March 2013. The entire electoral process in the once prosperous South American country was widely described as “flawed.”
Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) said in a statement that the federal government “has closely followed Venezuela’s July 28 presidential elections and commends the civic and peaceful conduct of the voting process,” although one man was killed outside a voting center.
“Mexico awaits the final vote count and detailed reports from the National Electoral Council of Venezuela to ascertain the definitive results,” the SRE said Monday morning.
“In line with its constitutional foreign policy principles and fully respecting Venezuela’s sovereignty and the right to self-determination of peoples, Mexico trusts that the will of the Venezuelan people, as expressed at the ballot box, will be honored through a transparent verification process,” the ministry added.
The governments of various countries, including the United States, questioned the legitimacy of the election results.
“We have serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people,” said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Numerous Latin American leaders also made public remarks about the election results.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric said that “Maduro’s regime must understand that the results are hard to believe” and declared that Chile “will not recognize any result that is not verifiable.”
Argentine President Javier Milei said that “not even [Maduro] believes the electoral scam he is celebrating,” while President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said that “what we saw yesterday in Venezuela has no other name than fraud.”
The presidents of Cuba, Bolivia and Nicaragua were among regional leaders who celebrated the victory of Maduro.
“Nicolás Maduro, my brother, your victory, which is that of the Bolivarian and Chavista people, has cleanly and unequivocally defeated the pro-imperialist opposition,” said Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel.
Venezuela is in the midst of “the largest external displacement crisis in Latin America’s recent history,” according to the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration. More than 7 million Venezuelans have fled their home country since the Venezuela’s current economic crisis began in 2014.
Mexico News Daily
Right in line with Russia and China. Yet, it appears Edmundo Gonzalez got 65-70% of the vote.
Aahh, Mexico…so sad.
Of course AMLO will support whatever Maduro tells him! Maduro’s his role model!
Partners in crime and corruption!
Throwing off a dictatorship is never easy.
Your President esta “loco” and can’t see what is really happening with Maduro in power. Another “dictator” who cheats. is corrupt and doesn’t give a “dam” about his people. President Obrador doesn’t realize what he is saying in approving Maduro win. This is what happens when Obrador goes down to meet with Maduro and they “braze like “compadres” to “fool” everyone. What a “shame” on Obrador part and all the people of Mexico in having this type of a “Losey ‘president who is totally “blind” to reality.
Hope the new President Sheinbaum has more “sense” than Obrador and can transform the country and help all the people and especially the “poor” and the “extreme poor”, who don’t have anything but “hope for a better life in Mexico.
B. Reina
Houston, Tx
AMLO absolutely does realize what he’s saying. AMLO loves Maduro and wants Mexico to be just like Venezuela.
Gotta say: this is one of the few things I have to disagree with AMLO….
To think that Sheinbaum‘s win gives her even more power than AMLO. His comments tells anyone considering investing in a Mexican company that the government could rescind your permits, take over your project at any time just like they do in Venezuela.
Apparently, most people don’t realize it, but the Army now runs everything in Mexico.
Obrador is a disgrace, he should resign/retire today!
AMLO is as corrupt as they come not a dictator he doesn’t love would love Mexico to be just like Venezuela so glad he is almost gone Sherbaum will be worse.Watch out for Cartels getting stronger every day . Military not as strong as predicted
Is anyone really surprised by Amlo’s position?
I’m certainly not, he is continuing down the same camino as his “compadres.” Sheinbaum, will most likely do the same. She is seemingly more rational and one could say less damaged, only time (6 years) will tell.