Rio de Janeiro, 16 August 2024 (dpa/MIA) — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has rejected a proposal by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for a new election following the recent presidential vote which was overshadowed by allegations of fraud.

Machado told media representatives: "Proposing a new election is a lack of respect for the Venezuelan people.

"If Maduro doesn't like the second election, do we then move to a third election?" she said, referring to the authoritarian Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Machado's comments came shortly after Lula said on Thursday that his counterpart could call for a new election.

Lula said in an interview with radio station T, "If he [Maduro] is reasonable, he could try to appeal to the Venezuelan people, perhaps even call for new elections, set criteria for the participation of all candidates, establish a non-partisan election committee in which everyone participates, and invite observers from all over the world."

Lula also stated that he still does not recognize Maduro as the winner of the presidential election. Lula said that Maduro knows "he owes an explanation to the whole world."

Brazil would work with Colombia to find solutions. Colombian President Gustavo Petro also supports the idea of a "new, free election."

Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) officially declared Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, as the winner after the election on July 28.

However, it has not yet published the detailed results of the individual constituencies. Instead, the CNE recently submitted the detailed election results to the Supreme Court, which is also considered to be loyal to the government.

The court is currently reviewing the results, and a verdict is still pending.

The opposition accuses the government of election fraud and claims victory for its candidate Edmundo González.

Several countries, including the United States, have recognized him as the winner of the election.

A UN expert group wrote in a preliminary report that the elections did not meet the "measures of integrity and transparency" required to be considered credible.