Brazil, Colombia urge new Venezuela vote, as opposition cries foul

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00:00He's known for his close relations with his Venezuelan counterparts, but Colombia's President

00:05Gustavo Petro has echoed calls to start afresh in Venezuela, suggesting new free elections

00:11as part of solutions to end the country's intensifying political crisis.

00:15Venezuela's electoral authority declared Maduro the presidential election winner last month,

00:21despite the opposition party's published vote tallies showing a victory.

00:26The United Nations has since raised the alarm over a wave of repression in the country after

00:30a deadly crackdown on protest contesting the results, leaving scores killed, dozens injured

00:36and over 1,000 people arrested.

00:39Venezuela's other neighbour Brazil is also in agreement for a new vote.

00:44If Maduro were sensible, he would try to appeal to the people of Venezuela, perhaps even organise

00:49new elections, establish criteria for all candidates to participate, create a multi-party

00:54election committee in which everyone participates, and let observers from around the world watch

00:59the elections.

01:02Maduro, though, has rejected these international weigh-ins, saying Venezuela didn't involve

01:07itself when Brazil and the US also had contested elections.

01:13Venezuela has sovereignty.

01:14It is an independent country with a constitution and institutions, and the conflicts that exist

01:18in Venezuela are resolved between Venezuelans, with their institutions, with their law, with

01:23their constitution.

01:25I do not practise microphone diplomacy.

01:29Since coming into power in 2013, Maduro's rule has overseen an economic collapse that

01:33saw an 80% drop in the country's GDP.

01:37And over 7 million Venezuelans have fled the country, according to the UN.

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