The United States referred to Venezuelan opposition politician Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as the country’s “rightful president” on Wednesday, Washington’s latest rejection of leader Nicolas Maduro’s third term.
Rubio “reaffirmed the United States’ support for the restoration of democracy in Venezuela as well as the immediate release of all political prisoners,” according to State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce, during a phone conversation with Gonzalez Urrutia, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, and top US diplomat Marco Rubio.
According to the State Department’s statement, Gonzalez Urrutia, who is now in exile, is “the rightful president of Venezuela.”
The United States, European Union and several of Venezuela’s democratic neighbors have refused to recognize Maduro’s claim to have won reelection to a third six-year term in last year’s polls.
Gonzalez Urrutia, 75, who fled to Spain in September during a crackdown on dissent, won the July vote, according to the opposition’s tabulation of results.
Gonzalez Urrutia was also referred to as Venezuela’s legitimate leader by former US President Joe Biden, who stepped down on Monday, and referred to him as the “president-elect.”
Gonzalez Urrutia recently visited the United States and went to the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
In an unsuccessful attempt to convince Venezuela’s military to remove Maduro following flawed elections in 2018, Trump placed harsh sanctions on the nation’s critical oil industry and named opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president during his first term.
In an effort to negotiate a migration agreement, several analysts had conjectured that Trump might be more forgiving of Maduro this time.
In a crisis Nearly a quarter of Venezuela’s population, or seven million people, have fled the country, many of them heading for the United States.
However, the ambassador criticized Venezuela’s current leadership during Rubio’s confirmation hearing, suggesting a possible hardline approach for the next four years.
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