(Toronto) About 300 people gathered in downtown Toronto on Saturday outside the Ontario legislature to protest the disputed Venezuelan election results and demand a stronger response from Ottawa.
Electoral authorities declared President Nicolás Maduro the winner of last Sunday’s elections, but have not yet produced the vote count proving his victory.
Rebecca Sarfati, an organizer who belongs to Toronto’s Venezuelan community, called the Canadian response “bland.”
She says other countries, such as the United States, consider the elections to be “rigged,” adding that Canada must say whether it considers President Maduro a dictator.
The Biden administration has strongly supported the opposition, recognizing Edmundo González as the winner and discrediting the official results of the National Electoral Council.
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said she was “deeply concerned” by reports of violence in Venezuela and that the information provided by observers raises “significant concerns about the integrity of the electoral process.”
An Associated Press analysis of vote tallies released Friday by Venezuela’s main opposition indicates that its candidate won far more votes in Sunday’s election than the government claimed, casting serious doubt on the official claim that Mr. Maduro won.
With files from the Associated Press.