US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the call less than an hour before the elections opened to urge all political parties in Venezuela to “respect the political approach” in an vote on Sunday.
Venezuelans “deserved an election that truly represents their will and is free of any manipulation.” The global community will be carefully monitoring this. We call on all parties to uphold their commitments and the political approach, Blinken told Japanese writers.
Venezuelans will decide whether to continue with President Nicolas Maduro or switch to Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia in the face of rising tensions following the candidate’s threat of a “bloodbath,” which polls predict is good.
Maduro, who is seeking a second six-year name at the head of the once powerful South American petro-state, is accused of locking up reviewers and harassing the antagonism in a environment of rising dictatorship.
Given the country’s stringent social, economic, and humanitarian crises, Blinken claimed the vote was a “pivotal occasion at a crucial time.”
At a time when crude prices are under enormous pressure due to wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, Washington and Caracas are eager to see an easing of punitive measures against Venezuela’s important but greatly depressed oil field.
According to researchers, the situation will only get worse if there is a post-election political crises because Venezuela has also been a major contributor to immigration pressure on the southern US borders.
The United States has argued that a good voting is necessary for the lifting of sanctions.
