Argentina recognizes opposition candidate as Venezuela's new president
On Monday, the largely government-loyal electoral body in Venezuela officially declared incumbent Nicolás Maduro the winner of the presidential election, despite international criticism and fraud allegations from the opposition. He reportedly received 51.2% of the votes, while opposition candidate González Urrutia got 44.2%. Despite demands from the opposition and abroad, the electoral body did not publish detailed voting results.
Argentina and other countries that question the official results requested an emergency meeting of the Organization of American States, based in Washington. Venezuela then announced it would withdraw its diplomatic staff from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, Uruguay, and the Dominican Republic. From the U.S. government's perspective, there is "overwhelming evidence" of an opposition victory.
Maduro, who ran for a third six-year term on Sunday, is unpopular among many voters due to the country's economic crisis. His power base in Venezuela relies on the military and police.
Maduro's official confirmation sparked mass protests, which security forces violently suppressed. Opposition leader María Corina Machado accused them of killing 20 people. The opposition has called for further nationwide protests on Saturday.
The opposition strongly criticized the decision of The Commission, arguing that it disregarded international standards and evidence of fraud during the election. Subsequently, several countries, including Argentina, sought an emergency meeting at The Organization of American States to discuss Venezuela's contested election results.
