The White House corrected a statement by President Joe Biden on Thursday, who, amid apparent confusion, indicated that he supported the holding of new elections in Venezuela.
The clarification came after Biden, in a brief exchange with the press before boarding the presidential helicopter Marine One, responded affirmatively to a question about his support for holding new elections in the South American country.
"Yes, I support it," said Biden, but the White House later indicated that the president did not hear the question correctly, cited the news channel Univisión.
"The president referred to the absurdity that Maduro and his representatives have not told the truth about the elections on July 28," the statement emphasizes.
The National Security Council (NSC) also clarified that Biden only made a general statement about the U.S. position regarding Venezuela and reaffirmed that for the United States, Edmundo González was the most voted candidate.
The White House's national security communications adviser, John Kirby, also denied that the United States has offered amnesty to Nicolás Maduro and reiterated the demand for a verified vote recount: "What we want to see are the actual vote recounts, the data, and we haven't seen that yet. So we still need to see it," he insisted.
The confusion about Biden's position comes at a critical moment, as several countries, including Brazil and Colombia, have called for new elections in Venezuela as a solution to the political crisis.
Unlike many nations that have recognized Nicolás Maduro or Edmundo González as the winner, Brazil and Colombia have maintained a neutral stance, urging Venezuela's electoral body to publish the voting records that would demonstrate the final results.
For her part, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado rejected the proposal for new elections, calling it an insult to the Venezuelan people and stating that "the elections have already taken place."
Machado urged Maduro to accept the terms of a negotiated transition.
What do you think?
COMMENTFiled under: