Maduro says not care about US reorganization

CARACAS - Venezuela's President-elect Nicolas Maduro said Wednesday that he does not care if the United States recognizes his narrow victory in Sunday's elections.

"It's obscene the US intervention in the internal affairs of Venezuela," Maduro said at a press conference at the Miraflores presidential palace, demanding US Secretary of State John Kerry to take his eyes off Venezuela. "Get out of here, it's enough for interventionism.

A man draws an image depicting the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during a gathering in support of President-elect Nicolas Maduro, at Plaza Bolivar in Caracas April 16, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]

"They don't recognize anything; we don't care your recognition. We have decided to be free and we will be free and independent, with you or without you," Maduro said in response to Kerry's statement about US reorganization to the new Venezuelan government.

The US government said on Wednesday it has not decided whether to recognize Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela's new president, reiterating a call for a recount of the presidential votes as the opposition demands.

"We think there ought to be a recount. I don't know whether it' s going to happen in the next days," Kerry said.

As acting president, Maduro won Sunday's presidential election by garnering 50.75 percent of the votes, beating opposition challenger Henrique Capriles, his close foe, by a margin of less than 2 percentage points. Capriles, citing irregularities in the polls, rejected the results and demanded a recount of all votes, a call echoed by the US and the Organization of American States.

The National Electoral Council (CNE) on Monday proclaimed Maduro as the new president, prompting violent protests in the oil- rich nation, which have resulted in seven deaths and injuries of 61 others.

Washington had questioned the "speed" of CNE in proclaiming Maduro as president, despite the request for an audit by the opposition, which has challenged the results and alleged irregularities.

"Obviously, if there are huge irregularities, we are going to have serious questions about the viability of that government," Kerry said. "I'm not sure that's over yet."

US-Venezuela relations have strained in recent years, and the two countries have not had each other's ambassador since July 2010.