Following a presidential election in Venezuela marked by allegations of widespread fraud, the defeated opposition candidate Edmundo González has been recognized as the true winner by a growing number of foreign countries.
Ecuador, Panama, Uruguay and Costa Rica have joined the United States, Peru and Argentina in recogizing González, a former diplomat, over the authoritarian incumbent, President Nicolás Maduro.
“Following the obvious falsification of the election results, the Ecuadorian government recognizes Edmundo González as the legitimate winner of the presidential election,” said a statement from the presidential office.
After the election on Sunday, Venezuela’s electoral authority declared Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, as the winner of the election. However, it has not yet published the itemized results of the individual voting districts.
The opposition is accusing the government of electoral fraud and is claiming victory for its candidate, González.
Opposition groups have said that their own detailed voting results from more than 80% of constituencies in Venezuela indicate that González received 67% of the votes and Maduro only 30%.
Many foreign governments had already refused to recognize Maduro’s re-election in 2018. Juan Guaidó, the then-parliamentary president, declared himself interim president.
The US, Germany and other countries recognized Guaidó, but he was unable to assert himself in the country – mainly because the military backed Maduro.
The armed forces have once again pledged their loyalty to Maduro.
