CARACAS: Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yvan Gil accused the United States on Friday of leading a “coup attempt” against the country amid a contentious dispute over presidential election results that has ignited widespread protests.
United States is “at the forefront of a coup attempt”, Yvan Gil said.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday while reacting to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s remarks regarding the presidential elections in Venezuela, said: “The US should stay out of Venezuela’s internal affairs.”
Speaking to his supporters from the Miraflores Presidential Palace in l Caracas, Maduro said that Venezuela is a sovereign state and that the will of the people is reflected in the election.
“The US emerges to declare that there is another president in Venezuela. The US should stay out of Venezuela’s internal affairs,” he said.
US Recognizes Venezuelan Opposition Leader as President
The US recognized Edmundo Gonzalez, President Nicolás Maduro’s opponent, as the winner of the recent Venezuelan presidential election, dismissing Maduro’s claim of victory.
Meanwhile, opposition leader María Corina Machado, head of the Vente Venezuela movement, has called for further mass protests against Maduro’s re-election.
The disputed election has plunged Venezuela into a political crisis and attracted international condemnation. Machado urged Venezuelans to take to the streets on Saturday to voice their dissent.
The Venezuelan Supreme Court has called a hearing for all presidential candidates on Friday afternoon. This move follows President Nicolas Maduro’s request for an investigation and certification of the election results.
In response to international criticism regarding the election, Venezuela has expelled diplomats from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay.
Expressing its solidarity and firm support for the nation and government of Venezuela, Iran on Friday expressed its opposition to any foreign pressure and interference in the internal affairs of this country.
In a post on his X account, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kan’ani wrote, “Emphasizing the need for respecting the vote and election of people of Venezuela within the framework of the right to determine fate of nations and also respecting the sovereignty of governments within the framework of the international treaties and conventions, especially the United Nations Charter, in addition to declaring solidarity and firm support for the nation and the government of Venezuela, the Islamic Republic of Iran expressed its opposition to any foreign pressure and interference in the internal affairs of this country and believes that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has the necessary will to protect and guarantee the fundamental rights of the people of that country within the framework of the constitution.”
