Venezuela election aftermath: Maduro pulls diplomats from 7 Latin American countries, expels their envoys

Venezuela has snapped ties with seven Latin American countries that doubted the fairness of the presidential election that President Nicolas Maduro claimed to have won. The rival candidate Edmundo González made a counter-claim of having won the polls, with the Opposition faction saying that they have the proof to show that Maduro lost the election and rigged to declare himself the winner.

The election results followed sharp reactions from several countries, with many doubting the outcome declared by Venezuela’s election office. Latin American countries, however, faced an angry response from the Maduro government.

It decided to withdraw its diplomatic staff from seven Latin American countries that questioned the election victory of President Maduro. These countries are  Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, Dominican Republic and Uruguay.

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The Maduro government’s foreign ministry issued a statement, saying it rejected the “interventionist actions and statements” of these Latin American governments, which signed a joint statement asking for a complete review of the election results.

The Nicolás Maduro regime also expelled the diplomatic missions of seven Latin American nations that expressed concerns over the results announced on Sunday of the country’s presidential election.  

Yván Gil, Venezuela’s foreign minister, emphasised that Venezuela reserved all legal and political rights to enforce and defend its inalienable right to self-determination. The government also stated it would confront any actions that threaten the nation’s peace and coexistence.

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The trigger

The entire controversy was prompted by an announcement from the National Electoral Council, which is controlled by the Maduro regime. On Sunday, the council declared that President Maduro had won the election against Opposition candidate Edmundo González, despite independent exit polls indicating a significant loss for Maduro.  

According to the council, Maduro secured 51.1 per cent of the vote compared to González’s 44 per cent. However, Opposition leaders and credible independent firms reported that González had won more than 65 per cent of the vote.  

Maduro’s re-election campaign for a third six-year term was marked by allegations of Opposition intimidation and fears of fraud. Opposition parties accused the regime of committing large-scale electoral fraud.  

Similar sentiments were echoed by officials from the expelled countries, some of whom have called for a meeting at the Organisation of American States to analyse the situation in Venezuela.