The head of European Union (EU) diplomacy, Josep Borrell, has described the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as « dictatorial » during an interview broadcast on Sunday in Spain. “In Venezuela, more than 2,000 people were arbitrarily detained after the elections. The opposition leader had to flee. Political parties are subject to a thousand restrictions in their activities.”Mr Borrell argued.
“What do you call all this? Of course, it is a dictatorial regime.”the EU’s top diplomat told Spanish private television channel Telecinco, adding that “Venezuela called elections, but it was not a democracy before and it is much less so after”.
Twenty-seven dead in protests
On Thursday, Venezuela recalled its ambassador to Madrid for consultations and summoned Spain’s envoy to Caracas for talks after Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles called Maduro’s administration a “dictatorship” and greeted “Venezuelans who had to leave their country” because of his regime. Spain, like all EU member states, is demanding the full publication of the minutes issued by the polling stations following the presidential election of July 28, which the Venezuelan authorities have not done, saying they were victims of computer hacking.
The National Electoral Council (CNE) declared Maduro the winner of the election, with 52% of the vote. But the opposition claims, based on the minutes provided by its scrutineers, that Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, the incumbent leader’s opponent, obtained more than 60% of the vote. The spontaneous protests following the proclamation of the election result left 27 dead and 192 injured in the country, while some 2,400 people were arrested, according to official sources.
Read also | Venezuela accuses US of plotting against President Maduro, Washington rejects allegations as “categorically false”
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