Chile withdraws its ambassador from Venezuela before Maduro takes power, accusing him of “electoral fraud”

Chile announced this Tuesday that withdraws its ambassador from Venezuela amid the escalation of tensions between the two countries in the face of the ccontroversial inauguration of Nicolás Maduro which will take place next Friday.

According to the Chilean Foreign Ministry, the measure is due to the “evolution of events since the presidential elections of July 28, 2024,” after which “Nicolás Maduro has assured that he will continue to be the president of that country from on January 10, as a result of the electoral fraud perpetrated by his regime”.

Therefore, adds the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “it has been decided to end the mission of its ambassador to Venezuela, Mr. Jaime Gazmuri.”

President Gabriel Boric has been one of the most critical voices in the region in the face of Maduro’s opaque victory in the July elections and Chile has repeatedly expressed the importance of the Venezuelan Electoral Council making the electoral records public.

Friction between both countries caused Venezuela to expel all Chilean diplomatic personnel from its territory in August, which deepened the distance between both countries.

“Chile hopes that Venezuela can return to the path of democracy and the promotion and protection of human rights, values ​​that today are absent in that brother country”the statement added.

Although it does not recognize the result of the elections in the Caribbean country, the Chilean government has not recognized the opposition candidate Edmundo González as the winner of the elections, since “it is not the responsibility” of the South American country to “announce or proclaim presidents,” said the spokesperson for the presidency, Aisén Etcheverry.

Last week, González toured South America and met with Javier Milei, with the Uruguayan president Luis Lacalle Pou, and also had a video call with the president of Paraguay, Santiago Peña.

The conversations generated discomfort in the Venezuelan government and led Venezuela to announce the breaking of diplomatic relations with Paraguay, a day after the Paraguayan president showed his support for González and recognized him as the winner of the elections.

In addition to breaking relations, Venezuela required the immediate departure of Paraguay’s diplomatic personnel in the country, a measure that was also adopted by the Peña government.

Paraguay thus joined Chile, Argentina and Peru among the countries in the region whose diplomatic delegations have been expelled from the Caribbean nation after rejecting Maduro’s proclamation as the winner of the elections.