BRUSSELS - The European Union and several EU countries, including the Netherlands, France, and Germany, have requested that Venezuela "promptly publish the election documents" that can prove Nicolás Maduro was re-elected as president on his own merit. This request follows reports from observers that the July 28 presidential elections did not meet international standards of electoral integrity. 

In a joint statement, the heads of state and government of the involved European countries called on the Venezuelan authorities to "immediately make all protocols and reports public to ensure the transparency and integrity of the electoral process." Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof emphasized on X the importance of respecting "the will and rights of the Venezuelan people" and condemned violence and threats against peaceful protesters and opposition members. 

Josep Borrell, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, reiterated on Sunday evening that the official data from the polling stations still have not been made public, despite previous commitments from the Venezuelan electoral council. 

Borrell warned that the continued withholding of these data only further casts doubt on the credibility of the election results. According to facts gathered by the Venezuelan opposition, Edmundo González Urrutia would have won by a significant majority.