Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
China congratulated Venezuela on Monday for the “successful celebration” of its elections and for the alleged re-election of President Nicolás Maduro, after the country's National Electoral Council (CNE) announced his victory at the polls on Sunday.
Speaking at a press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said that China and Venezuela are “good friends and mutually supportive partners”. Lin stressed that China highly values the development of relations with Venezuela and that Beijing is willing to work with Caracas to “enrich the content” of their strategic partnership.
However, several international governments – including the United States, Spain, Chile, and Colombia, among others – have expressed concern over the results presented by the CNE. They have called on the chavista-controlled electoral body to present transparent and verifiable results.
The Venezuelan opposition, led by Edmundo Gonzalez, has rejected the results presented by the CNE, and claims to have achieved victory.
According to the first report from the CNE, Maduro was reelected for a third consecutive term with 51.2 % of the votes, equivalent to 5,150,092 votes, while Gonzalez obtained 44.2 %, that is, 4,445,978 votes.
Lin also expressed his hope that the strengthening of ties between China and Venezuela, which elevated their relationship to an “all-weather strategic partnership” during a visit by Maduro to China in 2023, will benefit both peoples.
In the months leading up to the elections, China reaffirmed its support for Venezuela's “sovereignty and independence” and expressed its desire for the South American country's government to conduct the electoral process in accordance with “its constitution and national laws” and without “outside interference.”
This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Venezuela and China, relations that were consolidated during the tenure of the former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (1999-2013) and have been strengthened under Maduro.
Russia and Iran also congratulated Maduro on the weekend's election result, expressing their support for the Venezuelan leader, who has been in power since 2013.
In Latin America, Cuba, Nicaragua, Honduras and Bolivia – countries whose governments are friendly with the Maduro regime – also recognised the result presented by the CNE and congratulated Maduro on the result.
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China, Rusia e Irán felicitaron a Nicolás Maduro tras el fraude electoral en Venezuela – Infobae.
