Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, said this Thursday (24) that Nicolás Maduro won Venezuela’s presidential elections and that the South American country is fighting for “independence and sovereignty”.
Maduro’s victory was announced by Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) and ratified by the country’s courts. However, the government did not release the detailed minutes of the election and the opposition claims that there was fraud. Several countries and international institutions did not recognize Maduro’s supposed victory.
During a press conference this Thursday, Putin also considered that Russia’s position on Venezuela does not coincide with Brazil’s and that this was discussed openly during a call he had with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) on Tuesday ( 22).
The Russian leader noted that he has a “very good and friendly” relationship with Lula and said he hopes that Brazil and Venezuela will be able to find “things in common” during bilateral meetings.
“I know President Lula as a very honest, very good person and I am sure that he — I know his positions of objectivity — will analyze this situation”, he commented.
Still according to Putin, the Brazilian head of state asked the Russian to pass on “a few words” to Maduro, but did not give any further details.
Venezuela’s entry into the BRICS
During the BRICS Summit, the bloc’s members discussed the expansion of the group and invitation to nations as “partner countries”.
THE CNN found that a list of 13 countries — which must still be consulted and, effectively, invited — left Venezuela out. Even so, Nicolás Maduro stated this Thursday that the country is part of the BRICS.
Regarding the possibility of Venezuela being invited to the bloc, Vladimir Putin pointed out that this is only possible “in case of consensus” among the members.
Understand the crisis in Venezuela
The Venezuelan opposition and the majority of the international community do not recognize the official results of the July 28 presidential elections, announced by the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela, which give victory to Nicolás Maduro with more than 50% of the votes.
The CNE results were never corroborated with the release of electoral records that detail the number of votes per polling table.
The opposition, in turn, published the minutes that it says it received from its party inspectors and that would give victory by almost 70% of the votes to former diplomat Edmundo González, an ally of María Corina Machado, the opposition leader who was prevented from speaking. apply.
Chavismo claims that 80% of the documents released by the opposition are falsified. Maduro’s allies, however, do not show any electoral records.
The Venezuelan Public Ministry, in turn, initiated an investigation against González for publishing the minutes, alleging usurpation of electoral power functions.
The opponent was summoned three times to give testimony about the publication of the minutes and ended up taking refuge in Spain at the beginning of September, after having an arrest warrant issued against him.
Several opponents have been arrested since the beginning of the electoral process in Venezuela. Only after the July 28 election, at least 2,400 people were arrested and 24 died, according to human rights organizations.
*with information from Américo Martins, from CNN in Kazan
This content was originally published in Putin says that Maduro won elections and that Venezuela fights for “sovereignty” on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
