Venezuela’s Maduro Rejects Demands for New Elections

Venezuela’s Maduro Rejects Demands for New Elections

Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro rejected international demands to call new elections Sunday, as the political crisis in his country deepens days after the opposition leader declared himself interim president, VOA reports.

In an interview with CNN Turk aired Sunday, Maduro rejected an ultimatum given to him by a number of European countries — to hold elections within eight days or else they would recognize 35-year-old opposition leader Juan Guaido as president.

“They should withdraw this ultimatum. No one can give us an ultimatum,” Maduro said in the interview dubbed into Turkish from Spanish.

Venezuela held presidential elections on May 20, 2018. Many voters boycotted, saying the polls were not free and fair. Several opposition members also were prevented from running.

Incumbent Maduro won with nearly 70 percent of the vote, but the results have been challenged both domestically and abroad. He was sworn in for a second six-year term on January 10.

On January 23, the democratically elected National Assembly, which is controlled by the opposition, declared Maduro’s rule illegitimate. Invoking constitutional provisions, National Assembly leader Guaido declared himself interim president until there are new elections.

The United States called for a U.N. Security Council meeting on Saturday, where Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged international leaders to “pick a side” on the issue.

Pompeo called the Maduro regime an “illegitimate mafia state” and criticized countries including Russia, China, Iran and Cuba for supporting him.

The United States has already recognized Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s president.

Speaking to Fox News Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump’s acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said the president is looking at the situation “extraordinarily closely.”

When asked, Mulvaney refused to rule out the possibility of U.S. military action to address the unrest in Venezuela.

“I don’t think any president of any party who is doing his or her job would be doing the job properly if they took anything off the table,” he told Fox News Sunday.

Earlier this week, Maduro accused Washington of instigating a coup d’état and told U.S. diplomats they had three days – until Saturday — to leave the country.

Speaking from Panama, the pope called for a just and peaceful solution to the conflict.

“Faced with the grave situation it is going through, I ask the Lord that a just and peaceful solution is sought and achieved in order to overcome the crisis, respecting human rights (and) the good of all the people of the country,” he said.