THE US government recognised Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the “president-elect” of the South American country on Tuesday, months after President Nicolas Maduro won the July election.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recognised Mr Gonzalez in a post on X (formerly Twitter) in which he also demanded “respect for the will” of Venezuelan voters.

The administration of US President Joe Biden previously said Mr Gonzalez earned the most votes in the disputed July 28 election but had fallen short of acknowledging him as president-elect.