Lula says he doesn’t yet recognize Maduro as winner of Venezuela election

Brazilian president suggests fresh elections or coalition government as potential solutions to political crisis

The Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has made clear he does not yet accept Nicolas Maduro's claim to have been re-elected as Venezuela's president, and has suggested fresh elections or a coalition government as potential solutions to the country's intensifying political crisis.

Maduro's claim to have won Venezuela's 28 July vote - despite compelling evidence that he was heavily beaten - has plunged the South American country into uncertainty and spooked regional governments who fear possible conflict and the consolidation of a dictatorship on their doorstep.