Washington, DC — Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today issued a statement commending Venezuelans for exercising their right to vote, expressing concern that the results are credible to the Venezuelan people, and calling on the Venezuelan government to be transparent with the results:

“I commend the unprecedented number of Venezuelans who peacefully exercised their right to vote in yesterday’s Presidential election. It is critical that every vote is counted, and that the outcome is credible to the Venezuelan people. In Democracies, the will of the voters must be respected. 

“Despite the terms of the Barbados Agreement that Maduro and the opposition parties signed in October last year, the Maduro regime imposed significant barriers to free and fair elections in Venezuela. I condemn any and all efforts to block the will of the people, and I stand with the people of Venezuela, whose commitment to democracy and progress for their country must be honored without any further violence or obstruction.”

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