Chile's Boric calls on Venezuela to guarantee fair vote

President Gabriel Boric of Chile speaks during a press conference, during the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, in Stansstad, Switzerland, June 16, 2024. ALESSANDRO DELLA VALLE/File Photo

SANTIAGO - Chilean President Gabriel Boric urged Venezuela's government to guarantee fair elections and respect the country's Sunday vote during a meeting with reporters on Thursday.

Boric said Venezuelan officials should "respect the normal development of the electoral process, with a special guarantee for the opposition, giving unfettered respect to accredited results."

Venezuelans will vote in a presidential election on Sunday, with 61-year-old President Nicolas Maduro seeking his third term. His challenger, opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez,74, has attracted significant support.

Boric said Chile would condemn the Venezuelan government in multilateral forums if Sunday's results weren't respected, but he did not say what concrete measures the country could take.

The Chilean president also said he agreed with Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva, who said earlier this week he was "scared" by Maduro's statements about a "bloodbath" in Venezuela if he lost the elections.

Former Argentine President Alberto Fernandez was forced to stand down as an observer in Venezuela's election after he agreed with Lula's comments. On Wednesday Caracas withdrew the invitation.

Brazil's electoral court also said on Wednesday that it had withdrawn from acting as observers, fueling concerns about the fairness of the vote.

"You can't threaten with a bloodbath, what leaders and candidates should get are a 'bath' of votes that represent popular sovereignty and must be respected at all costs," Boric said.

- (Reuters)