President Jose Mulino of Panama
Panama has suspended diplomatic relations with Venezuela pending a full review of Sunday’s presidential election results.
Announcing the decision in a press conference on Monday, President Jose Mulino said diplomatic personnel will also be withdrawn from the South American country.
President Nicolás Maduro won Venezuela’s election, according to partial results announced by the National Electoral Council (CNE), but the poll was marked by accusations of fraud and counting irregularities.
The CNE said with 80 percent of ballots counted, Maduro had 51 percent of the vote, while Edmundo Urrutia, his main rival, got 44 percent.
Advertisement
The Venezuelan opposition dismissed the CNE’s announcement as fraudulent.
The party said the records it received showed that Urrutia garnered 70 percent of the vote against Maduro’s 30 percent and is the rightful president-elect.
Opposition parties had united behind Urrutia in an attempt to unseat Maduro after 11 years in power. Opinion polls conducted ahead of the election suggested the president would lose the race.
Advertisement
Earlier, demonstrations broke out in the capital’s largest slums to protest Maduro’s victory.
The United States and multiple global leaders have voiced scepticism about the results.
Before announcing a suspension of diplomatic relations, Panama joined eight other Latin American countries in calling for an emergency meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) permanent council, citing concerns about Venezuela’s election.
Advertisement
Add a comment
