The US government has acknowledged Edmundo González Urrutia as the rightful winner of Venezuela’s presidential election, dismissing the results announced by Venezuelan electoral authorities that declared Nicolás Maduro the victor.

“Based on the overwhelming evidence, it is evident to the United States, and most importantly to the Venezuelan people, that Edmundo González Urrutia received the most votes in Venezuela’s presidential election on July 28,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement late Thursday.

Although Venezuela’s electoral council declared Maduro the winner of the much-anticipated election on Sunday, González, the president’s main opponent, along with opposition leader María Corina Machado, claimed they had acquired more than two-thirds of the tally sheets from each electronic voting machine after polls closed.

They argued that releasing this data would confirm Maduro’s loss.

Source: The Guardian