Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said the United States, Europe and the United Kingdom should recognize the opposition candidate as Venezuela’s president.
“Everyone knows that Edmundo González is the president-elect,” Machado told international journalists.
Many foreign governments have said they believe the opposition won Venezuela’s July election, but have not recognized Mr. González as president.
The state-run electoral council and the country’s supreme court — both of which are heavily government loyalists — declared President Nicolás Maduro had won a third term in July, but vote counts released by the opposition showed Mr. González had won.
Ms Machado was barred from running for office and Mr González ran in her place.
“I definitely think they [the US and UK] “We should recognise Edmundo González for who he is,” she told the BBC when asked if it was time for the West to recognise him as president.
“Maduro’s position is to intensify repression. This further isolates him and is unsustainable,” she added.
The result was recognized by President Maduro’s allies including Russia, China and Iran, but most foreign governments did not and they called on the government to release the vote results to prove the outcome.
Among them are several countries that previously maintained closer ties with the Maduro government, including Brazil and Colombia.
After the most recent election in 2018 was widely criticized as neither free nor fair, dozens of governments including the United States recognized then-opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president and imposed heavy sanctions on Venezuela.
But the US, UK and EU have yet to recognise Mr González as president this time, despite US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken saying there was “clear evidence” that he won and not President Maduro.
Instead, some foreign governments in the West have favored the so-called “Brazilian approach” to try to negotiate a peaceful transition of power with Mr. Maduro’s government.
“Some countries have not done that,” Ms. Machado responded. [recognising the opposition candidate as president].
“We need to raise our stakes at this point. The UK should step up and say Edmundo is president.”
She added that President Maduro must accept that “the price of maintaining power will increase every day.”
“I certainly think the United States should do more. Human rights violators should know that they will be held accountable. Not just in the military but in the justice system.
“These messages must be clearly communicated to the regime.”
She remained in hiding while giving interviews to journalists. The government has called for her and Mr. González to be arrested.
She said there was “certainly” a risk they could be jailed.
“They are hunting us down. They have imprisoned people who they think know where I am,” she said.
“We must survive and be free, that is our main challenge.
“Every day is more difficult and more dangerous. The regime can do anything. They have no limits.”
But she said she would not seek asylum elsewhere: “I believe it is my duty to stay in Venezuela.”
