Maduro withdraws diplomats from seven Latin American countries in response to electoral criticisms.

The proclaimed president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, who according to the Electoral Council of that country was reelected president of the nation for the period 2025-2031, ordered the immediate withdrawal from the country of the diplomatic representatives of Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay, "due to the intervening actions and statements" from their governments.

Maduro and his executive also announced that they are withdrawing their respective delegations in those countries.

"The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela expresses its strongest rejection of the interventionist actions and statements from a group of right-wing governments, subordinate to Washington and openly committed to the most sordid ideological postulates of international fascism, trying to reissue the failed and defeated Lima Group, which intends to disregard the electoral results of the presidential elections held this Sunday, July 28, 2024," says a statement from Foreign Minister Yvan Gil on X.

The announcement comes hours after these countries, together with Paraguay and Ecuador, demanded a "full review" of the electoral results and requested an urgent meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS).

One of the first leaders to react to Maduro's proclamation as president of Venezuela was the Chilean Gabriel Boric, who stated through his account on X that "Maduro's regime must understand that the results it publishes are hard to believe."

Another questioning came from Uruguay, when President Luis Lacalle Pou asserted irregularities in the election and counting process, stating that it was "clearly flawed" and that "one cannot recognize a victory if there is no trust in the way and the mechanisms used to achieve it."

Meanwhile, the president of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Chaves, described the elections as "fraudulent" in a statement and declared that his government "categorically repudiates the proclamation of Nicolás Maduro as president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela."

From the presidency of Panama, President José Raúl Mulino announced on Monday the suspension of diplomatic relations with Venezuela and the withdrawal of its personnel from the South American country.

However, the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela officially proclaimed Nicolás Maduro president on Monday, after the agency announced on Sunday night that the Chavista, who has been in power since 2013, won the elections with 51.2% of the votes, a result rejected by the majority opposition and a large part of the international community.