The Venezuelan government has announced the withdrawal of its diplomatic staff from seven Latin American countries following President Nicolas Maduro’s contentious re-election.
The countries in question are Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Dominican Republic and Uruguay.
Caracas decided to withdraw its diplomats on Monday in protest against their governments’ “interference,” amid allegations of election fraud, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Maduro's government asserts that the stance of these governments “harms national sovereignty” and has asked that their diplomats leave the country.
Additionally, six associates of opposition figure Maria Corina Machado, accused of conspiracy, have been taking shelter at the Embassy of Argentina since March.
Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) reported that Maduro, successor of former President Hugo Chavez (1999-2013), won a third consecutive term with 51.2% of votes against opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia’s 44.2%. However, the opposition rejects these results, claiming to have won with 70% of the votes.
In a joint statement released on Monday, nine Latin American countries - Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic and Uruguay - called for a “comprehensive review with the presence of independent electoral observers.”
The United States voiced serious concerns that the announced result might not reflect the will or vote of the Venezuelan people, while EU Foreign Affairs chief Josep Borrell called for “total transparency," including a detailed vote count.
In an address, Maduro strongly condemned what he described as attempts by the opposition and the international community to impose a “fascist and counter-revolutionary coup in Venezuela.”
Thousands of people marched in the rain on Monday, expressing their discontent and burning effigies of Nicolas Maduro. Riot police in Caracas fired tear gas to disperse the protesters, according to French news agency AFP.
Equipped with anti-riot gear, law enforcers firing tear gas grenades advanced on stone-throwing protesters in the capital's east central district of Chacao.
