Biden tells UN that Venezuela voted for a change that cannot be denied

In his speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden acknowledged the struggle for “freedom” in Venezuela, where “voters cast their vote for change” that “cannot be denied.”

Biden referred to the July 28 elections in Venezuela, in which President Nicolás Maduro declared himself the winner, during the final part of his speech, when he paid tribute to the “brave men and women” who have accomplished feats such as ending apartheid in South Africa or tearing down the Berlin Wall.

“I have seen it all over the world: the brave men and women who ended apartheid, tore down the Berlin Wall and are fighting today for freedom, justice and dignity. We saw that universal journey towards rights and freedom in Venezuela, where voters cast their vote for a change that cannot be denied,” he said.

The US president added that “the world knows the truth” about what happened in the Venezuelan elections, in which the National Electoral Council (CNE) declared Maduro’s reelection without publishing the disaggregated results, something that has generated rejection from a large part of the international community.

In his speech, Biden used his own personal example to call on the world’s leaders not to cling to power.

Biden spoke about his exit from the electoral race

The 82-year-old politician recalled that this summer he made the “difficult decision” to give up his re-election campaign, ending a 50-year career to make way “for a new generation of leaders so that the country can move forward,” he said in reference to his vice president, Kamala Harris, who will face Republican Donald Trump in the November elections.

“Dear leaders, let us never forget: there are things that are more important than remaining in power,” he stressed.

The Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) of Venezuela, the main opposition coalition led by María Corina Machado, claims the electoral victory of its standard-bearer, Edmundo González Urrutia, who has been recognized as the winner by the United States.

González Urrutia recently went into exile in Spain, denouncing having suffered judicial persecution in his country, but Machado maintains that the candidate will be sworn in as president on January 10.