23rd May, 2018
The leaders of the Group of Seven leading economies rejected the outcome of Venezuela’s presidential election on Wednesday, slamming it for a lack of legitimacy and credibility.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro won Sunday’s election with 68 per cent of the vote, amid accusations of voter manipulation and fraud.
The U.S. has since imposed new sanctions on the government, while the EU has threatened similar measures.
“The leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.S. and the EU are united in rejecting the electoral process leading to Sunday’s polls.
“By failing to meet accepted international standards and not securing the basic guarantees for an inclusive, fair and democratic process, this election and its outcome lack legitimacy and credibility.
“We therefore denounce the Venezuelan presidential election, and its result,’’ the G7 leaders said.
They complained of human rights abuses and serious deprivation under Maduro’s increasingly authoritarian regime, while calling for free and fair elections as well as the release of political prisoners and safe, unhindered access for humanitarian workers.
Venezuela is also mired in a deep recession, with quintuple-digit annual inflation contributing to widespread shortages of food and medicines and the flight of hundreds of thousands of people to neighbouring countries.