US President Joe Biden called exiled Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo González the “real winner” of the country’s presidential election last July after meeting him at the White House.
In the post on social networksBiden said Venezuela deserves a “peaceful transfer of power.”
González fled to Spain in September following the turmoil following Venezuela’s election, in which incumbent President Nicolás Maduro declared victory – something disputed by González and many parts of the international community.
Caracas reacted furiously to the meeting, calling it “grotesque” and accusing Biden of supporting a violent anti-democratic project, Reuters news agency reported.
Maduro is scheduled to be re-inaugurated on Friday.
González, currently in exile in Spain, says the July presidential election was rigged and says he actually won it himself.
The opposition has called for mass protests this week, while Maduro’s government is offering a $100,000 (£81,000) reward for information leading to González’s arrest.
The vote totals – a detailed official analysis of the votes from each polling station – were at the heart of the dispute over who won the election.
The government-aligned National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner, but did not provide results to back up its claim.
The opposition, which with the help of accredited election witnesses collected and announced more than 80% of the votes, says they prove that González was the overwhelming winner.
UN Human Rights Committee December ordered Venezuela “to refrain from destroying” vote counters from the July elections.
