On Monday, Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro announced severance of his country’s diplomatic ties with Asuncion after Paraguayan President Santiago Pena declared his backing for exiled Venezuelan figure Edmundo Gonzalez, calling him the winner of Venezuela’s elections last year.
For his part, Pena reiterated his support for Gonzalez and ordered Venezuela’s diplomats in his country to leave within 48 hours.
Commenting on X, former Twitter, he said he “expressed our commitment to continue working together with the international community, not only to recognize (Gonzalez’s) victory, but to contribute to the prompt restoration of democracy in Venezuela.”
The Venezuelan figure claims to have triumphed in the polls, releasing alleged details of the tallies.
Maduro, however, was declared winner by the electoral authority and the nation’s top court, and is set to be inaugurated for his third term on Friday.
He became president following the death of his mentor Hugo Chavez in 2013, and was re-elected in 2018 despite the United States-orchestrated opposition.
MNA/