Brazil’s Lula says Maduro could call for a new election in Venezuela ‘if he has good sense’

SAO PAULO (news agencies) — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Thursday morning that he still doesn’t recognize Venezuelan counterpart Nicolás Maduro as the winner of last month’s presidential election and that his counterpart could call for a new vote “if he has good sense.”

“Maduro still has six months left in his term. He is the president regardless of the election. If he has good sense, he could call upon the people of Venezuela, perhaps even call for new elections, create an electoral committee and allow observers from around the world to monitor,” Lula said in an interview with Radio T.

He also mentioned that Maduro still owes an explanation to Brazilians and the rest of the world.

“We want the National Electoral Council, which managed the elections, to publicly announce who won,” he added.