Blinken Reaffirms U.S. Support for Venezuelan Opposition Leader Gonzalez Urrutia

The U.S. Secretary of State denounces Maduro's disputed re-election and backs opposition efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, recognized by the U.S. as 'president-elect,' and Maria Corina Machado to express support for democratic restoration.
The U.S. condemned Nicolas Maduro's re-election, citing opposition-released results showing Gonzalez Urrutia won by a landslide in the disputed July election.
Protests following the controversial election left 27 dead, over 200 injured, and more than 2,400 arrested, with rights groups alleging torture and inhumane prison conditions for detainees.
Maduro's government has faced international criticism for repression, while releasing some prisoners, though activists dispute the numbers and report worsening conditions in Venezuelan prisons.
Gonzalez Urrutia, currently in exile in Spain after an arrest warrant was issued against him, has vowed to return to Venezuela to inaugurate his own government next month.