Kremlin says Venezuelan opposition should accept defeat and congratulate Maduro on election win

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Tuesday that the political opposition in Venezuela should accept what Moscow called its defeat and congratulate incumbent Nicolas Maduro on his election win.

Maduro and his opposition rival Edmundo Gonzalez have both claimed victory in the presidential election and anti-Maduro protests have erupted around the South American country.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "We see that the opposition does not want to accept its defeat, but we believe that the opposition should do this, should congratulate the winner of these elections."

He added that external forces should not seek to stoke instability in Venezuela, which has become a top Russian ally under Maduro's socialist government, after Washington and some other foreign governments cast doubt on the official results.

Peskov said: "It is very important that these attempts to shake up the situation inside Venezuela are not fuelled by third countries, third parties, and that Venezuela is free from external interference."

(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; Writing by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Andrew Osborn/Guy Faulconbridge)