Leonel questions Maduro’s triumph; “The candidate’s victory could not be proclaimed”

Santo Domingo.- Former President Leonel Fernández reaffirmed this Wednesday that during his work as an electoral observer in the Venezuelan presidential elections of July 28, 2024, he did not consider the announcement of Nicolás Maduro’s victory prudent or legitimate. Fernández, during a live broadcast on social media, explained that his mission, acting “with complete impartiality and neutrality“, led him to the conclusion that the triumph of the ruling party’s candidate could not be proclaimed because the corresponding scrutiny records had not been presented, which in his opinion generated a crisis of legitimacy in the electoral process. “The most recent event that has contributed to the current outcome of the Venezuelan crisis has been the questioning of the legitimacy of the elections, we believe that the triumph of the ruling party’s candidate could not be proclaimed,” Fernández said, adding that his mission recommended prioritizing internal political dialogue as a path towards peace and reconciliation within Venezuela.

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Fernández’s participation as an observer was the subject of strong criticism, in a context marked by previous denunciations of repression against the Maduro regime and the polarized political environment in the South American country. These statements come amid a tense regional situation following a U.S. military operation in Venezuela that culminated in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, his wife Cilia Flores, and their transfer to the United States, an event that has generated an intense debate about international law, sovereignty, and future stability in the region.