Hungary blocks EU statement on Venezuelan elections - Politico
Photo: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (Getty Images)
The European Union failed to present a united front on Venezuela's disputed election due to Hungary's veto of a statement of concern over voting "flaws and irregularities" and a call for greater transparency, Politico reports.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner of the July 28 election with 51% of the vote against 44% for his opponent Edmundo González Urrutia, but the government has failed to explain the counting and verification of the results.
The EU had planned a joint statement on the election, but Budapest's position prevented it, two officials told the news agency.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell issued his statement, noting that "credible reports from domestic and international observers indicate that the elections were marred by numerous flaws and irregularities”.
“The data that the [Venezuelan] opposition has made available to the public offers a radically different result from the one announced,” Borrell says.
Hungary's veto underscores a fundamental flaw in EU foreign policy, which requires decisions - including possible future sanctions against Venezuela - to be unanimously agreed upon by the bloc's 27 member states. This has led some countries, such as Germany, to advocate for qualified majority decision-making in foreign policy.
Elections in Venezuela
In Venezuela, protests continue over the results of the presidential election, in which the authorities announced the victory of incumbent President Nicolás Maduro, securing his third six-year term.
The opposition claims fraud during the vote count. It claims to have more than 70% of the counting protocols, which indicates that the opposition candidate received twice as many votes as Maduro (González - 6.27 million, Maduro - 2.75 million).
Read more about the elections in Venezuela and mass protests in the country in RBC-Ukraine's report.
