Just like he did with the petition to deport CNN host Piers Morgan in December, President Obama has dodged calls by Americans to urge the South American country of Venezuela to hold a recount on its April 14 election.
The petition, which was posted on the Administration’s “We the People” page on April 15, asks the Administration to refuse to acknowledge the legitimacy of the new Venezuelan government until there is a recount of the previous day’s vote. The election was held just a month after longtime leader Hugo Chavez passed away from cancer.
The full text of the petition is as follows:
“In a democratic state, there is no reason why the government should refuse to do a recount when such a large portion of the population demands it. That is why I urge the Obama Administration to refuse to accept the results of the Venezuelan presidential elections up until there has been a full recount. I furthermore urge it to refuse to recognize the legitimacy of any government until there is no doubt that the democratic process was honored.”
Unsurprisingly, the White House claimed in its response that it has “supported calls for a recount and urged for a credible and transparent review of alleged irregularities” despite not following through with the calls.
The response also stated that the Administration had congratulated “the Venezuelan people for participating in the presidential election in a peaceful and orderly manner, as well as urging the Venezuelan government to respect the rights of its citizens.” But one has to wonder what The White House means when they say that the Venezuelan election was “peaceful” and orderly” especially since riots opposing the election of now President, Nicolas Maduro, swept the streets in the days following the election, resulting with 7 people dead and over 60 injured.
It also included a generalized account of universal rights, how important they are to a prosperous democracy and how concerned the United States and the international community are for the Venezuelan political sphere.
Nowhere in the response, however, was there a clear call to action to aid the Venezuelan people or to addressthe corruption of the Presidential election.
