EU refuses to recognise Maduro victory in disputed Venezuelan elections

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The European Union has heaped further international pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, joining Washington and South American nations in refusing to recognise the win he has claimed in recent elections marked by fraud allegations.

A statement from the EU Council on Sunday said the results published by Venezuela's National Electoral Council on 2 August could not be recognised.

Any attempt to delay the full publication of the official voting records would only "cast further doubt" on the credibility of the polls, it said.

Venezuela's election authority said the 28 July vote was won by incumbent Maduro, a result that defied pre-election polls and ignited protests that rights group say have left 11 people dead so far and thousands arrested.

A growing number of nations, including the United States and Argentina, say the election was won by opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.

EU states France, Germany, Italy and Spain are among those to urge transparency, calling on authorities to release detailed vote tallies.

The latest rejection comes as Venezuela's opposition backed outside calls for the results of last week's disputed presidential vote to be published, as the Pope said Venezuelans must "seek the truth" and warned against further violence.

'Commitment to democracy' Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who spent much of the week in hiding after Maduro threatened her with arrest following the protests, welcomed these countries' "commitment to democracy" over the weekend.