AOC weighs in on Venezuelan elections, calls for publication of 'full, detailed' data

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez weighed in on fallout from the Venezuelan elections, echoing the stance by the Biden administration and calling for the release of "complete and detailed" data.

In a lengthy message in Spanish, the lawmaker said on X that "democracy, freedom and peace must be heard and respected, and the voices of the Venezuelan people must be heard without tampering."

"Abiding by electoral laws and transparency in the results are basic norms to validate elections in democracies, and they are norms Venezuela must abide by if it wishes for the electoral results to be recognized and respected around the world. Not doing this will bring more instability to a region and people that have suffered plenty," she added.

Tensions continue running high in Venezuela as the Maduro government still has not provided granular data to justify its claim that it easily won the elections. The U.S. government, as well as regional power brokers such as Brazil and Colombia, have refrained from recognizing the claim and are urging the government to provide the necessary documents.

The opposition, in contrast, claims it does have the documentation from most voting stations and that they show an overwhelming victory of presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia.

White House spokesperson John Kirby issued a warning to the Venezuelan government on Wednesday, saying that "our patience is running out on waiting for the Venezuelan electoral authorities to come clean and release the full, detailed data on this election so everyone can see the results."

Late on Tuesday, American and Brazilian Presidents Joe Biden and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called on Venezuela to release "full, transparent and detailed voting data at the polling station level."

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who has been reluctant to criticize the Venezuelan government, said there are "grave doubts about the electoral process" that could lead to "further and violent polarization." "I invite the Venezuelan government to allow the elections end in peace by allowing a transparent tally," Petro added.

In a further publication, the Colombian president said "it's up to the Venezuelan people to reach a political agreement for violence in their country to end and establish a transparent way to conduct a tally that has guarantees for all."

In the meantime, over a dozen people have reportedly been killed amid the protests against the government, as Maduro ramps up repression.

The UN Fact-Finding Mission reporting on Venezuela released a statement on Wednesday, warning of "human rights violations in the post-electoral context and accelerated reactivation of the repressive machinery". The statement also reads:

"Public order control operations must comply with international human rights standards and norms, according to which the use of force must be proportionate and must be aimed at the protection of life."