Venezuela defense minister reaffirms military's loyalty to Maduro

7/8/2024 6:54

        Venezuela's Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino on Tuesday reaffirmed the military's "absolute loyalty" to President Nicolas Maduro, amid an on-going dispute over the country's contested presidential election results.
        
        The comments came after opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez and leader Maria Corina Machado urged members of the armed forces "to stand at the side of the people," in a letter published on Monday.
        
        "We ratify our absolute loyalty to citizen Nicolás Maduro Moros," Padrino said during a broadcast by state television, where he was flanked by the top brass of the military and the police.
        
        These "fatuous and irrational calls seek to break our unity and institutionality, but they will never achieve it," Padrino added.
        
        The opposition maintain Gonzalez won more than 6 million votes, compared to 2.7 million won by Maduro, and have published online a copy of ballots from 30,000 voting machines.