US recognizes Maduro's opponent as winner in Venezuela election

By Kanishka Singh and Matt Spetalnick

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday recognized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's opponent and opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the winner of Venezuela's disputed presidential election, rejecting Maduro's claim of victory.

"Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela's July 28 presidential election," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Thursday.

The announcement from Washington did not go beyond congratulating him for a "successful campaign," the closest the U.S. has come since Sunday's contested election to recognizing Gonzalez as the OPEC nation's new leader.

The dispute over the presidential election results has sparked protests in Venezuela. Venezuela's electoral council proclaimed Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, the winner of the July 28 election with 51% of the vote.

But the country's opposition says its tally of about 90% of the votes shows that Gonzalez received more than double the support of the incumbent president, in line with independent polling conducted before the contest.

The opposition has released detailed tallies on a public website, while the government has so far not shared any information beyond a national total of votes for each candidate.

The statement from Blinken on Thursday stopped short of threatening new sanctions on Venezuela but he hinted at possible "punitive action." Reuters reported on Tuesday that Washington was considering fresh sanctions following the disputed election.

"We fully support the process of re-establishing democratic norms in Venezuela and stand ready to consider ways to bolster it jointly with our international partners," Blinken said.

Blinken also urged that opposition leaders be protected and kept safe.

"Law enforcement and security forces should not become an instrument of political violence used against citizens exercising their democratic rights," he said.

The presidents of Brazil, Mexico and Colombia called for Venezuela to release detailed voting tallies on Thursday amid the dispute over presidential election results.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh, Matt Spetalnick and Jasper Ward; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Tom Hogue)