Venezuelan parliamentarians approved an agreement that repudiates a resolution of the European Parliament, which criticized the impediment of Venezuelan opposition candidacies and regretted the “direct interference of the government of Nicolás Maduro” in the electoral process.
The president of the Venezuelan National Assembly (AN) said that the presence of any European election observer mission will not be allowed in the country’s elections next year.
The project of agreement approved in the Venezuelan parliament, this Thursday (14), was proposed by deputy Rodolfo Sanz, from Maduro’s party, United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).
It establishes “the categorical rejection of the supposed resolution [do Parlamento Europeu] for its disrespectful, colonialist and interventionist character, at the service of the most despicable interests contrary to those of the Fatherland”.
It still demands that the “European Parliament immediately stop interfering and violating the elementary principles of Public International Law against the Venezuelan homeland”.
In his speech, Sanz asked MEPs to “leave Venezuela in peace, because this country has decided to be free, sovereign, independent forever”.
During the session, the president of the Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, also from the PSUV, said that the Europeans “instead of taking interventionist actions, they should take care of their problems”.
Rodríguez declared that “as long as the revolutionary government is in charge of the Venezuelan state”, no European observation mission will come to the country for the upcoming electoral events.
Such a decision depends on the approval of the National Electoral Council (CNE), the body responsible for the Venezuelan electoral process, currently chaired by historian Pedro Calzadilla – affiliated with the PSUV and former minister of Maduro and Hugo Chávez.
The agreement was approved unanimously by the Assembly.
The unanimity is explained by the fact that there is practically no dissent to Maduro in the current legislature, elected in 2020, because the opposition parties agreed not to run for office, alleging irregularities and fraud in the electoral process. The legitimacy of the elections was rejected by the Organization of American States (OAS), the European Union and the United States.
European Parliament condemns asphyxiation of the opposition
On Thursday (14), a resolution with harsh criticism of Venezuela was approved in the European Parliament by 495 votes in favor, 25 against and 43 abstentions.
The text “strongly condemns the arbitrary and unconstitutional decision of the Venezuelan regime to prevent prominent political opposition figures such as María Corina Machado, Leopoldo López, Henrique Capriles and Freddy Superlano from running in the 2024 elections.”
Also regretted is “the direct interference of the government of authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro in the electoral process and the current serious restrictions on the right of Venezuelans to choose their political representatives”.
MEPs demand the creation of “conditions to guarantee a fair, free, inclusive and transparent vote”.
“Parliament also fully supports the investigations by the International Criminal Court into alleged crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Venezuelan regime and urges the authorities to release all political prisoners,” the resolution stated.
“With Venezuela ignoring the recommendations of the EU election observation mission while the country is experiencing continued institutional, economic and political instability, MEPs stress that the upcoming summit between the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) it is an opportunity to express support and defend the principles of the rule of law, democracy and human rights in Latin America”, he added.
The summit between the European Union and CELAC will take place on July 17th and 18th, and will be attended by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). A CNN found out that the Brazilian government already expects that two issues considered “thorny” will be addressed at the summit in Brussels: Nicaragua and Venezuela.
Source: CNN Brasil
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