CARACAS, July 21 (Xinhua) -- International media outlets accredited in Venezuela must respect the nation's electoral process and "tell the truth" during the upcoming presidential elections, Jorge Rodriguez, campaign manager of President Nicolas Maduro, said Sunday.
Rodriguez, also president of the National Assembly, urged the media not to "feed a fantasy that has no other objective than to not recognize the results of the elections."
Reiterating earlier complaints that "the Venezuelan extreme right is prepared to not recognize the truth and the electoral result," Rodriguez said the government will always denounce such tactics and urged the press to "tell the truth, respect the truth."
Rodriguez's remarks, made to the Caracas-based news agency Telesur, were in response to a statement released Saturday by the Venezuelan Foreign Press Association (Apex), which demanded "respect for the work of international media and agencies" accredited in the country, and called for "not involving the international press in the political debate."
Over 20 million eligible voters are expected to cast their ballots on July 28 to elect a president from among 10 presidential candidates. ■
