Not fast or furious: nations take measured reaction to Venezuela election

13/8/2024 19:26

        More than two weeks after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claimed reelection victory, the U.S. and other Western countries are showing little sign that they plan to quickly impose tough measures for what many of them have condemned as voting fraud.
        
        Most governments have demanded that Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) release a full set of voting tally sheets after both Maduro and opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez declared they won. Brazil and others have been trying to secure talks between the two sides, political rivals that have not conciliated in decades.
        
        Protests against Maduro in the days following the vote were met with a crackdown, with authorities denouncing the demonstrations as an attempted "coup." The confrontation left 23 dead and more than 2,000 people arrested, according to data from the United Nations on Monday.