The Guardian.
The United States is hesitating to recognise Nicolás Maduro as president of Venezuela and has called for a recount of the vote from Sunday's closely fought election.
The
procrastination is likely to embolden Venezuela's opposition and enrage
many on the left in Latin America, who have long accused the US of
interfering in the region's politics.
The US secretary of state,
John Kerry, said he had yet to evaluate whether the disputed result was
legitimate when asked about the matter by members of the House of
Representatives.
"We think there ought to be a recount," he told
the foreign affairs committee in reference to Venezuelan opposition
demands for a full audit of the vote.
At least seven people have
died in the protests that have riven Venezuela following Sunday's narrow
presidential poll. The National Electoral Council declared Maduro the
winner by 262,000 votes out of 14.9m cast.
