The United States today recognized the opposition candidate in Venezuela as the winner of the elections. Meanwhile, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico released a joint statement calling on the Venezuelan dictatorship to release the results of Sunday’s election as soon as possible and for the results to be impartially verified.
So far, dictator Nicolás Maduro has not published the minutes because he has not wanted to, and no one knows what an impartial verification would be like, given the fact that all the institutions that deal with elections in the country are entirely dominated by the Chavista regime.
The situation created by Maduro has overcome the old left versus right scheme, as it now reflects another type of international rift. Authoritarian regimes that cannot be considered left-wing, such as Hungary and Russia, support Maduro. Authoritarian regimes that cannot be considered right-wing, such as China, also support him, as does Iran, an Islamic theocracy.
There are left-wing governments, such as Chile, that condemn Maduro’s electoral farce, as well as a large number of open democracies in Europe, the Americas and Asia, governed by different political currents. What is understood to be at stake on a global scale – and exemplified in Venezuela – is the defense of democratic values ​​against those who want to stifle the opposition and govern by force.
The Venezuelan crisis is a crisis about whether or not to respect universal values ​​of human rights and civil liberties. But by treating the issue as a problem of friendly leftists facing off against enemy rightists, the Lula government is putting Brazil on the wrong side of history.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
