Venezuela election: Protesters demand stronger response from Canada to ‘rigged’ results

About 300 people gathered in downtown Toronto today outside the Ontario legislature to protest the disputed election results in Venezuela and demand a stronger response from Ottawa.

Authorities declared President Nicolás Maduro the winner of last Sunday’s election, but have yet to produce a vote count to prove his victory.

Rebecca Sarfati, an organizer for Toronto’s Venezuelan community, called the Canadian response “bland.”

She says other countries, such as the United States, consider the election to be “rigged,” adding that Canada must say whether it thinks Maduro is a dictator.

The Biden administration has given its resolute support to the opposition, recognizing Edmundo González as the winner and discrediting the official results of the National Electoral Council.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said she was “deeply concerned” by reports of violence in Venezuela and said the information provided by observers raised “serious concerns about the integrity of the electoral process.”

An Associated Press analysis of voting records released Friday by Venezuela’s main opposition party indicates their candidate won far more votes in Sunday’s election than the government claimed, casting serious doubt on Maduro’s official declaration of victory.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2024.

— With files from the Associated Press.