The government has aligned with Brussels’ position, showing full caution regarding the Venezuela election results. For now, Maduro’s victory has not been officially acknowledged; instead, the focus is on demanding transparency. Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has refused to comment on the presidential results from Sunday until the vote tallies are published, table by table, to verify the outcome. According to the first official bulletin released by the National Electoral Council, Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro was re-elected to a third term with 51.20 percent of votes (5,150,092 supporters).
“Venezuela’s democratic will must be respected through the publication of all polling station tallies to guarantee fully verifiable results,” Albares stated in a post on the X network. He also urged everyone to remain calm and civil as the election unfolded. In a Ser interview cited by EFE, the Foreign Minister highlighted that Venezuelans voted democratically and in large numbers, stressing that the key is the publication of data from each polling table so they can be verified.
The European Union’s top diplomat for foreign affairs, Josep Borrell, had previously said that ensuring “total transparency” of the Venezuelan electoral process was vital. This includes a detailed vote count and access to the electors’ polling station acts, he conveyed via social media. The opposition’s claim centers on the lack of access to more than half of the ballots, which they label as a fraud in the official figures.
The regional party PP has mirrored the opposition’s stance to push further. They openly argued that there are solid reasons to believe the announced result does not reflect the people’s vote. PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo called for an audit of the process, delivery of the electoral acts, and acceptance of the result after concluding that Venezuelans voted yesterday in peace for a transition to freedom.
Until all acts are made public, as demanded by the opposition, Spain will not recognize the results announced by Venezuela’s National Electoral Council. The Foreign Minister clarified this, emphasizing a demand for total transparency in the electoral process. From a stance of supposed neutrality, the government has no candidate and merely wants Venezuelans to prosper and enjoy democracy, which was clearly expressed by voters yesterday.
Albares noted that so far only global figures have been published and stressed the importance of counting every vote and waiting for verification by the United Nations, the European Union, and international observers. Acknowledging the opposition’s call for more detailed scrutiny, he said everyone should have transparent access to the data and that there must be minimum guarantees so that people feel comfortable with the results.
Asked about the expulsion of a nine-member delegation from Europe, Albares stressed that they knew they would be turned away because they did not have the proper authorization. He rejected the idea that the government had chosen a side with Maduro and said he would have preferred the delegation to be credentialed to enter the country.
Albares dismissed the opposition’s claims as false and noted that other political groups, upon learning they lacked certification for the electoral mission, chose to withdraw, while the Popular Party pressed ahead with their plans.
Note: As long as not all electoral sheets are public, Spain will hold its position on recognizing the results released by the Venezuelan authorities. The Foreign Minister reaffirmed the call for total transparency and made clear that the government seeks only the well-being and democracy of Venezuelans, who expressed themselves clearly by voting yesterday.