The real winner of Venezuela’s election urges the regime to face facts

I HAVE BEEN been a public servant of Venezuela all my life—a career diplomat whose service culminated during the presidency of Hugo Chávez as ambassador to Argentina.

I accepted the presidential candidacy of Plataforma Unitaria Democrática (Unitary Democratic Platform), a coalition of parties opposing the current regime, with the support of María Corina Machado. Ms Machado was the clear winner of the primary election held by that coalition in October 2023. She was, however, prevented from running in the presidential election owing to an unconstitutional disqualification. I decided to accept the candidacy because I considered it my duty to my country and to my conscience as a citizen who believes that the ballot box is how the people should decide who represents them and who governs them.

After a brief and unequal campaign, marked by restrictions and abuses of power, the Venezuelan people participated peacefully in huge numbers in the election on July 28th. The result was clear: I obtained a large, indisputable majority. We have proven this with the data issued by the automated voting system in the vast majority of the country’s roughly 16,000 polling stations. Our witnesses obtained the individual results from more than 80% of the voting machines in the country and they are available for the world to see on a website. According to this detailed tally, I received 67% of the vote.

That result, it should be noted, is consistent with the findings of the most respected polls in the run-up to the election, as well as with the exit polls and quick counts conducted on election day. Even the members of Nicolás Maduro’s Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela (United Socialist Party of Venezuela) who were present in the polling stations witnessed how citizens throughout the country voted overwhelmingly in favour of change and freedom.

In my campaign I promised a democratic and orderly transfer of power, as demanded by our constitution. I also promised a government for all, respectful of the rule of law and dedicated to promoting national reconciliation, to resolve the crisis affecting the lives of Venezuelans, especially the most vulnerable. So severe is this crisis that some 8m of my compatriots—a quarter of the population—have emigrated over the past decade or so.

The regime led by Mr Maduro has ignored the result of the election and hastily proclaimed a false and unprovable one. Western and other powers should roundly reject the official result.

What I stand for is respect for the free and peaceful will of our people. It would be against my principles and against my lifelong record to advocate any violence, let alone a coup d’état. The regime, on the contrary, seems to be willing to stay in power by any means possible, including the use of violence.

The logical and fair thing to do is to carry out a competent, impartial verification of the election results with urgency, as Latin American governments have proposed. Only through truth will Venezuela find a way to move forward from this critical moment. The world’s democrats must defend that principle while pushing for an immediate solution to the crisis.

I have always been, by vocation and conviction, a man of peace. It is in peace that I will seek a way for Venezuelans to resolve this situation responsibly. ■

Edmundo González Urrutia was the opposition coalition’s candidate in the Venezuelan presidential election.