FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 16, 2013
Diaz-Balart Urges the Obama Administration to Await Review of the Votes Before Recognizing Election Results in Venezuela
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) released the following statement in response to Sunday’s presidential election in Venezuela.
“This past weekend, millions of Venezuelans went to the polls to cast their votes in the presidential election for either Chavez’s chosen successor Nicolás Maduro or opposition candidate Henrique Capriles.
“Although Maduro has prematurely claimed victory, the reported razor-thin margin of approximately 235,000 votes out of 14.8 million votes cast, numerous voting irregularities cited by the opposition, and the obvious institutional biases favoring Maduro warrant a thorough and transparent review of all the votes.
“The Venezuelan people, who have endured authoritarian rule, double-digit inflation, corruption, blackouts, and increasingly high crime rates during the Chavez years, deserve to have their voices heard. During this critical time for Venezuela, the Obama Administration should not hastily recognize any election results until a thorough, transparent review of the votes has occurred.”
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