G7 voices concerns on Venezuelan election

By Angelo Amante

(Reuters) -Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers approved a declaration on Wednesday voicing solidarity with the Venezuelan people and concern about the announced election results, which sparked protests across the South American nation.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claimed victory in the country's elections early this week, but the opposition contested the result and said multiple independent exit polls and quick counts decisively showed its candidate had won.

G7 foreign ministers called on "Venezuelan representatives to publish detailed election results in full transparency" and asked "to immediately share all information with the opposition and independent observers," a statement seen by Reuters said.

"We call for maximum restraint and for a peaceful, democratic and Venezuelan-led solution," it added.

Italy holds the rotating presidency of the G7 for 2024. The group also includes Germany, France, Britain, Canada, Japan and the United States.

"On the Maduro regime, I have always maintained a firm condemnation since I have held office in European institutions," said Antonio Tajani, the leader of the centre-right Forza Italia party and a former president of the European Union parliament.

"The announced results do not seem to reflect the real will of the Venezuelan people," Tajani told lawmakers in the Italian lower house of parliament.

The U.S.-based Carter Center, which observed the vote, has said that the Venezuelan election "did not meet international standards of electoral integrity and cannot be considered democratic."

Protesters have taken to the streets across Venezuela demanding Maduro acknowledge his defeat, although the electoral authority declared that he had won a third term with 51% of votes.

The opposition, which considers the election body to be in the pocket of a dictatorial government, said its candidate Edmundo Gonzalez had more than twice as many votes as Maduro based on the 90% of vote tallies it had been able to access.

(Reporting by Angelo Amante,)