Blinken calls for ‘fair and transparent’ Venezuela vote count

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press conference after the Quad Ministerial Meeting with his counterparts from Japan, India and Australia at the Iikura Guest House in Tokyo on Monday, July 29, 2024. Blinken called Monday for votes in Venezuela’s presidential election to be counted “fairly and transparently.” (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / Agence France-Presse)

TOKYO, Japan — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Monday for votes in Venezuela’s presidential election to be counted “fairly and transparently.”

The statement was issued just before Venezuela’s electoral council announced President Nicolas Maduro won reelection to a third six-year term with 51.2 percent of votes cast.

“Now that the voting has concluded, it is vitally important that every vote is counted fairly and transparently,” Blinken said in a statement.

READ: Venezuela’s Maduro wins reelection – electoral council 

“We call for the electoral authorities to publish the detailed tabulation of votes (‘actas’) to ensure transparency and accountability,” he added.

Soon after, Elvis Amoroso, president of the Venezuelan electoral body loyal to the government, told reporters that 44.2 percent of the vote had gone to opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia who had been leading in polls.

READ: Venezuelans anxiously await results of presidential poll

Blinken applauded the Venezuelan people for taking part in the election “despite significant challenges and deep concerns about the process.”

“We commend their courage and commitment to democratic principles in the face of repression and adversity,” he said.