By Caribbean News Global 
WASHINGTON, USA – Venezuelans went to the polls to vote in a historic presidential election. The election presented an opportunity for Venezuelan voters to express their aspirations for a more democratic, prosperous, and stable country. We commend their courage and commitment to democratic principles in the face of intense repression and adversity, says US senior administration officials on the Venezuela election. Last night, the Maduro-controlled National Electoral Council declared Nicolás Maduro the winner, and just this morning it convoked the diplomatic community in Caracas to formally anoint him.
The US Department of State in a special briefing, said:
“We have serious concerns that this result does not reflect the will and the votes of the Venezuelan people. By engaging in repression and electoral manipulation, and by declaring a winner without the detailed precinct-by-precinct polling results, or actas in Spanish, to support a claim, Maduro representatives have stripped the supposed election results they announced of any credibility. We urge Maduro and his representatives to respect the democratic aspirations of the Venezuelan people and to take immediate steps to restore democratic processes in Venezuela.
“We call for the immediate publication of detailed precinct-level polling to ensure accountability. With the support of the international community, the Venezuelan people can move toward a better future, a more democratic path, one with economic recovery, political stability, and prosperity for all Venezuelans.
“As secretary Blinken said, the international community is watching and will respond accordingly.”
The official briefing continued:
“I just want to underscore that Venezuelan voters did show up in historic numbers yesterday to express their will at the ballot box. We stand firmly with the Venezuelan people and support those seeking to restore democracy in Venezuela, and we are very engaged using diplomacy and coordination with regional allies and partners to ensure that the wishes of the Venezuelan people are respected as those wishes have been expressed at the ballot box.
“In particular, it’s critically important that every vote is counted transparently and that election representatives in Venezuela immediately share information with independent observers as well as with the other political actors and the broader international community. That includes publishing the detailed precinct-by-precinct tabulation of votes, which is known as the actas.
“The United States joins with other democracies in the region and across the world in supporting having democratic norms respected in Venezuela. We are concerned at this juncture with regard to yesterday’s election that respect for democratic norms has not been followed.
“Finally, we must all work together to support aspirations of Venezuelans who showed up in such large numbers to participate in the democratic process and to choose their elected leaders.”
Meanwhile, Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, commended Venezuelans for exercising their right to vote, expressing concern that the results are credible to the Venezuelan people, and called on the Venezuelan government to be transparent with the results:
“I commend the unprecedented number of Venezuelans who peacefully exercised their right to vote in yesterday’s Presidential election. It is critical that every vote is counted, and that the outcome is credible to the Venezuelan people. In Democracies, the will of the voters must be respected.
“Despite the terms of the Barbados Agreement that Maduro and the opposition parties signed in October last year, the Maduro regime imposed significant barriers to free and fair elections in Venezuela. I condemn any and all efforts to block the will of the people, and I stand with the people of Venezuela, whose commitment to democracy and progress for their country must be honoured without any further violence or obstruction.”
