Lula stands firm on Maduro's win in Venezuela election

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said that if election results confirm President Nicolas Maduro's victory in Venezuela, it is incumbent upon all to acknowledge the outcome.

Lula on Tuesday characterised the electoral process as "normal" and "calm," reflecting his belief in the legitimacy and smooth conduct of the election.

He said that to "resolve the dispute" over elections, local authorities must present voting records.

The statement, the President's first on the Venezuelan electoral impasse since Sunday's elections, was made in an interview with a TV Globo affiliate in Mato Grosso, according to the G1 website, also owned by Globo.

"When the minutes are presented and proven to be true, we all have the obligation to recognise the electoral result in Venezuela," Lula said, according to G1.

Lula also spoke with the US President Joe Biden and the two leaders agreed on the need for Venezuela to release the voting tallies, according to a statement from the Brazilian presidency.

This comes amid pro-opposition protests after electoral authorities declared Maduro as winner.

"I hold (opposition candidate Edmundo) Gonzalez Urrutia responsible for everything that is happening in Venezuela, criminal violence... the wounded, the dead, the destruction," Maduro said late on Tuesday, warning that "justice will come."

'Absurd' and 'implausible' protests

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez denounced an alleged coup attempt that he said was instigated by the opposition and the US amid violent protests that have left deaths, injuries, and hundreds detained by authorities.

Lopez, accompanied by top military commanders, said at a news conference that a coup was forged following Maduro's reelection in general elections on Sunday.

"We are in the presence of a coup d'état forged once again by these fascist elements of the extremist right, supported by the imperial elements, US imperialism together with its sepoys and lackeys," he said.

The protests instigated by Maduro's supporters and opponents have left at least seven people dead and 44 wounded, most by firearms.

Lopez said 23 military personnel and 25 police officers had been wounded and a National Guard sergeant died in northern Venezuela, from a gunshot wound to his neck.

Venezuela's Prosecutor Tarek William Saab said on Tuesday that 749 people had been arrested during the protests and could be potentially charged with terrorism. He warned that the number of arrests could increase.

After the National Electoral Council announced that Maduro won the elections with more than 50% of the vote to secure his third consecutive term, the opposition bloc led by Marina Corina Machado and presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez said the elections were rigged.

Lopez, however, said the protests were "absurd" and "implausible," and assured that the great majority of Venezuelans supported Maduro's reelection.

"We will defeat this coup once again. No one can overcome the conscience of an entire people, no one can overcome the moral strength of an institution like the Armed Forces," said Lopez.

Diplomatic showdown

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has expressed concern about fighting between protesters and security forces.

At least nine countries have registered their protests against the results and withdrew diplomats from Caracas, including Panama, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru and Uruguay.

Venezuela, in turn, has said it is withdrawing its diplomatic staff from seven Latin American countries that questioned the election victory of President Maduro.

In a statement on Monday, the Foreign Ministry said it rejected the "interventionist actions and statements" of the governments of Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, Dominican Republic and Uruguay, which signed a joint statement asking for a complete review of the election results.

The Venezuelan government has suspended commercial flights to and from Panama and the Dominican Republic.

According to Maduro's government, the flight ban is a "rejection of the interference of right-wing governments."

All Venezuelan flights to and from Panama and the Dominican Republic will stop from 8 pm [local time] on July 31 .