Palmetto State News

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, along with several other senators and representatives, issued a joint statement following the Venezuelan presidential election. The statement criticized President Nicolás Maduro and labeled the election as fraudulent.

“To no one’s surprise, dictator Nicolás Maduro has once again stolen a presidential election,” the statement read. It emphasized that despite this outcome, “the Venezuelan people’s desire to return to democracy and live in freedom after decades of tyranny” remains strong.

The signatories called for international unity in rejecting the election results and advocated for securing the release of over 300 Venezuelans detained as political prisoners. They pointed out that there is significant discontent within Venezuela and highlighted support for opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez.

“The Maduro dictatorship is experiencing an internal fracture, and members of the dictatorship know their status quo, which is filled with incompetence, is no longer sustainable,” they stated. The joint message also urged accountability for countries and organizations supporting what they described as electoral fraud.

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