US’s Blinken calls on Venezuela parties to ‘respect democratic process’ in vote

TOKYO (AFP): US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for all parties in Venezuela to “respect the democratic process” in an election on Sunday, speaking less than an hour before polls open.

“The Venezuelan people deserve an election that genuinely reflects their will, free from any manipulation. The international community is going to be watching this very closely. We urge all parties to honor their commitments and to respect the democratic process,” Blinken told reporters in Japan.

Venezuelans will vote between continuity in President Nicolas Maduro or change in rival Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia amid high tension following the incumbent’s threat of a “bloodbath” if he loses, which polls suggest is likely.

Maduro, who is seeking a third six-year term at the helm of the once wealthy South American petro-state, is accused of locking up critics and harassing the opposition in a climate of rising authoritarianism.

Blinken said the election is a “pivotal event at a pivotal time given the severe political, economic and humanitarian crises the country faces.”

Washington is keen, as is Caracas, for an easing of punitive measures against Venezuela’s critical but severely weakened oil sector at a time of great pressure on crude prices with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Venezuela has also been a major source of migration pressure on the southern US border, a situation experts say will only worsen in the event of a post-election political crisis.

The United States has insisted that the lifting of sanctions depends on a fair vote.