Eu Calls For Fresh Elections Maduro Vows To Stay

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EU Rejects Guaido as ‘Legitimate President’ of Venezuela, Maduro Fights On

EU Calls for Fresh Elections, Maduro Vows to Stay

Brussels Rejects Maduro's Re-election, Guaido's Presidency

The European Union has formally rejected the "legitimacy" of Nicolas Maduro's re-election as President of Venezuela.

The EU's decision, announced on Monday, comes in the wake of Maduro's widely disputed victory in May's presidential election, which was boycotted by the opposition and denounced as fraudulent by international observers.

The EU statement said that the "electoral process" had been "neither free nor fair" and that the EU "does not recognize the legitimacy of the presidential election held on 20 May 2018."

The EU also called for "free, transparent and credible" new presidential elections to be held in Venezuela as soon as possible.

Maduro has rejected the EU's demands, vowing to remain in office and accusing the bloc of interfering in Venezuela's internal affairs.

"The EU has no right to tell us what to do," Maduro said in a televised address on Monday. "We are a sovereign nation and we will decide our own future."

The EU's decision is a significant blow to Maduro's regime, which has been facing increasing international isolation since his re-election.

The US has already recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as the "legitimate president" of Venezuela, and a number of other countries have followed suit.

The EU's move is likely to further increase pressure on Maduro to step down and allow for new elections.

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