With All Evidence Pointing to a Decisive Gonzalez Victory, He Should Be Considered President-Elect

Floor Speech

“I had the chance to visit Caracas, Venezuela, before they held their last presidential election. I will never forget walking into one of the private hospitals in Caracas and seeing the shelves empty of basic medicines and hearing the stories of deprivation and political repression that led so many millions to flee that country.

“I told President Maduro that if he ran a sham election, which he had scheduled, he'd find the country even more isolated and the Venezuelan people enduring even more suffering. Unfortunately, that’s the path he pursued, and we've seen the heartbreaking consequences. A failed state near economic collapse, millions of refugees in the region, and greater reliance on Cuba and Russia to suppress the Venezuelan public.

"On Sunday, Venezuela held its election, and this morning, Maduro was brazenly declared the winner despite the release of actual election data. The desperate move has been widely condemned in Venezuela and by the region’s democratic nations.

“But yesterday’s presidential election in Venezuela offered a chance for change. It has been a perilous process, with the regime disqualifying opposition candidates and arresting key opposition supporters. Yet, on Sunday, millions turned out to vote for a change… People waiting in line, some up to six hours, for the chance to vote.

“Despite independent exit polls showing a wide margin for opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, Maduro’s regime has once again tried to claim a dubious victory, absent of credible ballot evidence.

“Responsible nations in the region have understandably cast serious doubts on the regime’s claim and called for a full and transparent counting of the ballots. I join in that request.

“With evidence so far pointing to a decisive Gonzalez victory, he should be considered the President-elect unless credible evidence is provided otherwise. The Maduro regime must not be allowed to steal an election or any more of the future from the Venezuelan people,”

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