(Bloomberg) -- Canada cautiously waded into the Venezuelan election dispute, rejecting the official results released by Nicolas Maduro’s government but stopping short of declaring opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez the rightful winner.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, which played an activist role in the US-led effort to unseat Maduro as part of the Lima Group in 2019, called for “a peaceful, negotiated and Venezuelan-led solution” to resolve the crisis and offered to work with “partners in the region.”
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, in a statement Sunday night, said the data collected by independent observers “provides credible evidence that the results claimed by Maduro authorities of this election don’t reflect the will of the Venezuelan people.” Her statement didn’t mention Gonzalez by name.
Canada’s stand contrasts with the more direct approach of President Joe Biden’s administration. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that Gonzalez clearly won the most votes in the July 28 presidential election and called for a peaceful transition of power.
Maduro declared himself the winner but Venezuela’s regime-controlled electoral authority, which says he won 52% of the vote, has yet to release detailed results. The opposition has published records from about 80% of voting stations that show Gonzalez secured at least 70% support, sparking nationwide protests.
The authoritarian president has threatened to jail Gonzalez and banned opposition leader Maria Corina Machado for fomenting dissent and alleged electoral meddling.
Venezuelan voters turned out in large numbers and the Canadian government “deeply regrets that Venezuelan authorities did not respect this impressive civic engagement by failing to share the proof of the results,” Joly said. “We reiterate our call on the Venezuelan authorities to ensure transparency and publish detailed results for all polling stations.”
Last year, Canada took steps to restore ties with Maduro’s socialist government, marking a turnaround after it had backed an earlier push by Donald Trump’s administration to recognize former National Assembly President Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s leader.
Maduro, whose regime has arrested at least 2,000 people since Monday for allegedly trying to destabilize the government, has said the latest international push against him will fail. He has repeatedly described Gonzalez as “Guaido 2.0.”
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