The European leaders “express … great concern” over the political situation in Venezuela, and “strongly condemn any arrests or threats” against Venezuelans, “especially the political leaders.”
Maduro’s declaration of victory was rejected by the opposition, after exit polls had projected a decisive lead for his rival Edmundo González.
The developments have prompted large protests in Caracas, where thousands of protesters gathered earlier this week in a call to overturn the presidential elections’ results. The authorities have arrested hundreds of protesters, and threatened to imprison González as well as opposition leader María Corina Machado.
Shortly after the election results came out last Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed “serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people.”
The EU has struggled to present a united response to the political crisis in Venezuela, after Hungary vetoed a statement echoing concerns over the alleged “flaws and irregularities” in the voting, as reported by POLITICO.
