Díaz-Balart Denounces 'Shameful Power Grab' by Maduro

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart

The Venezuelan presidential election between Nicolas Maduro and Edmundo González sparked massive outrage after Maduro declared himself the victor despite election results showing a significant loss. Maduro declared himself the victor in the early hours of this morning, but González's campaign is ready to contest the election results. As world leaders begin to reject the alleged results, citing voter fraud, Florida Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R) is denouncing the "shameful power grab" by the Maduro regime.

Rep. Díaz-Balart, who also serves as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs of the House Committee on Appropriations as well as the co-chair of the Congressional Venezuela Democracy Caucus, released a statement against Maduro's "stole" and "fake election."

"It has been clear from the beginning that yesterday's election would be neither free nor fair," he said. "Opposition leaders were jailed, the main opposition candidate María Corina Machado, who won a decisive primary, was kicked off the ballot," and he also mentioned that "in the days leading to the election, his thugs terrorized Machado, stripping her of her personal security, and threatening her life by cutting the brakes of her campaign vehicles."

"The Maduro regime has shamefully subverted the will of the Venezuelan people once again, and made a mockery of democracy."

The Florida Republican points to the Biden-Harris Administration, warning that their "reckless and dangerous deal with the Maduro dictatorship to promote these fake elections only propped up the anti-American Maduro regime, and bought it more time." "The Maduro regime, which is closely allied with anti-American adversaries such as Russia, the People's Republic of China, and the terrorist states of Iran and Cuba, is a dangerous malign influence in our hemisphere."

As such, he calls on the current administration to stop "appeasing our enemies and tossing a lifeline to repressive dictatorships." Instead, he calls on the incumbent president to "strengthen sanctions and stand in solidarity with those seeking genuinely free and fair elections, respect human rights, and freedom."