BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, who has friendly relations with Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, has reversed his support for the July presidential election in the neighboring country, calling the vote a “mistake.”
Petro spoke in an interview with Brazilian news outlet Globo News, which released excerpts online that Petro’s office shared Tuesday on social media.
Petro told the news outlet Monday while visiting Brazil for the G20 summit that he initially was in favor of Venezuela holding the elections, but that he later decided that the vote was not “free.”
“I think the elections were a mistake,” Petro said.
His office did not immediately respond to a request for him to elaborate on the reasons for his change of heart.
After the July 28 election, Petro, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and then-Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador — all leftists and friendly with Maduro — attempted to make peace as the results came under dispute when Maduro and his main opponent both claimed victory. But the effort went nowhere.
In the interview, Petro said he has lost faith in that diplomatic effort and he believes that “a common front on Venezuela, whatever the policy, will no longer exist.” He also does not consider “realistic” the possibility of an immediate government change there.
At the heart of the election dispute are tally sheets printed by every electronic voting machine and safeguarded by electoral authorities, party representatives and others. Each sheet shows a breakdown of votes per candidate.
Venezuela’s electoral authorities had traditionally published the detailed results on their website, but on July 29, they claimed they could not do so because their website had been hacked. At the same time, the main opposition coalition secured tally sheets from more than 80% of the machines, published them online and declared that its candidate, former diplomat Edmundo González, had defeated Maduro by a landslide.
Petro, Lula and other world leaders have urged Maduro’s government to publish the detailed results.
Petro, who did not recognize Maduro or González as the winner, told the Brazilian news outlet that Venezuela created a “dark map by not showing the records.”
The centralized press office of Venezuela’s government did not respond to a request for comment.
Venezuela’s next presidential term begins Jan. 10.
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