Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and US counterpart Joe Biden called on Tuesday for full results of the Venezuelan election to be published, with the Brazilian leader terming a dispute over results ‘normal.’
‘Lula reiterated that the publication of the electoral records of last Sunday’s elections is fundamental. Biden agreed with the importance of disclosing the records,’ the Brazilian presidency said in a statement after the two leaders spoke in a call.
In a statement, the White House confirmed the conversation and ‘the need for immediate release of full, transparent, and detailed voting data at the polling station level by the Venezuelan electoral authorities.’
Speaking to a TV Globo affiliate in an interview released Tuesday, Lula appeared to downplay the dispute over the election result, which has seen thousands take to the streets and at least 11 people killed.
‘It is normal that there is a dispute,’ Lula said in the interview, adding it could be ‘resolved’ by releasing polling-station-level voting data, known in Spanish as ‘actas.’
‘If the actas raise doubts... the opposition enters an appeal,’ he said, adding that the courts’ decision would ultimately be something ‘we have to abide by.’
‘I am convinced that it is a normal, calm process,’ he said. ‘There is nothing serious, there is nothing to be afraid of.’
On Tuesday, thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets for a peaceful show of support for the opposition, a day after 11 people died and dozens were wounded in protests against Maduro.
Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, the opposition’s candidate in the poll, urged the government not to repress the protests.
Lula said that people had ‘the right to express themselves’ and that the government had ‘the right to prove that it is right.’
‘President Maduro knows perfectly well that the more transparency there is, the more chances he has to have peace of mind to govern,’ Lula said.
Lula also called for ‘putting an end to external interference in other countries.’
EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said on Wednesday the results of Venezuela’s election cannot be recognised until voting records are verified and made public.
International calls have mounted for a detailed vote breakdown since incumbent Nicolas Maduro’s disputed victory in Sunday’s presidential election.
‘We ask to be provided with immediate access to the voting records of polling stations,’ he told reporters during a trip to Vietnam.
‘Until the records are made public and verified, election results that have already been declared cannot be recognised.’
