U.S. Recognizes Maduro’s Rival as Winner of Venezuelan Election

The United States on Thursday night recognized Venezuela’s opposition presidential candidate, Edmundo González, as the winner of the country’s disputed presidential election.

The announcement, by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, comes despite a claim by the country’s authoritarian president, Nicolás Maduro, and by the government-controlled electoral body, that Mr. Maduro won the vote.

Mr. Maduro has yet to produce clear evidence of a victory, and election officials have failed to provide a vote count. Mr. González’s campaign says that it has receipts from more than 80 percent of voting machines that indicate that he won the election by an insurmountable margin.

While some leaders have voiced support for the Mr. González in recent days, the United States is the largest nation to recognize him as the winner in Sunday’s vote.

The decision is sure to anger Mr. Maduro, who has long characterized Washington as a meddling imperialist power. But it’s unclear if the announcement will have any effect on Mr. Maduro’s grip on power.

Mr. Blinken, in a statement, said that “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.”

“We congratulate Edmundo González Urrutia on his successful campaign,” Mr. Blinken continued. “Now is the time for the Venezuelan parties to begin discussions on a respectful, peaceful transition in accordance with Venezuelan electoral law.”

The candidacy of Mr. González, who is backed by a popular opposition leader, María Corina Machado, represented the most significant electoral threat to Mr. Maduro’s power since he took office in 2013.

The movement that Mr. Maduro leads, known as Chavismo, has