Blinken says Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro lost election before claiming victory with 'no supporting evidence'

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday said a Venezuelan opposition leader, not socialist and Hugo Chavez successor Nicolás Maduro, won the country's presidential election. Maduro has claimed victory and threatened the opposition since July 28, sparking widespread protests.

"Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo González Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election," Blinken said.

Maduro is widely believed to have lost before declaring victory, and numerous regional governments have cast doubt on the results.

EXPERTS FEAR VENEZUELA'S MADURO COULD STEAL SUNDAY'S ELECTION AS OPPOSITION LEADS IN POLLS

Government officials from Brazil, Colombia and Mexico have been trying to convince Maduro’s administration that he must show the vote tally sheets from Sunday’s election and allow impartial verification, a Brazilian government official told the Associated Press on Thursday. Doing so would dispel any doubt about the results, the official said. Argentina's newly elected libertarian President Javier Milei has called for the anti-Maduro protests to continue.

On Wednesday, Maduro asked Venezuela’s highest court to conduct an audit of the election, but that request drew almost immediate criticism from foreign observers who said the court is too close to the government to produce an independent review.

Polls taken over the course of the summer consistently showed opposition candidate Edmundo González winning by double-digit margins.

When the National Electoral Council, which is controlled by Maduro loyalists, announced around midnight that Maduro had received 51% of the vote compared to main opposition candidate