By RTL News / ANP··Amended:
RTL
Venezuela is withdrawing its diplomatic staff from seven Latin American countries that have questioned President Nicolás Maduro’s recent election victory, which authorities say saw the incumbent win 51.2 percent of the vote.
The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry in a statement rejected the “interventionist actions and statements” of the governments of Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, Dominican Republic and Uruguay. These countries signed a joint statement calling for a complete review of the results of last Sunday’s elections.
Peru expelled
Peru took immediate action following Venezuela’s decision: Venezuelan diplomats in Peru must leave the country within 72 hours, the Peruvian Foreign Ministry said in a statement citing the “serious and arbitrary decisions taken today by the Venezuelan regime.”
On Monday, the nine Latin American countries demanded an emergency meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) in which it was decided to request a review. The countries say they are seriously concerned about the official results of the Venezuelan elections. The United States and the European Union also question the election results.
In Venezuela itself, protests have broken out in several places against the vote that the demonstrators say is fraudulent. Others are especially sad that Maduro – according to them, wrongly – claims victory:
