Allies of Maduro Reject His Maneuvers in Venezuela

In disqualifying the main opposition candidates for the July 28 elections.

Brazil and Colombia joined the wave of rejection from the US, the EU, and other countries regarding the development of the Venezuelan electoral process.

By EFE (Confidencial)

HAVANA TIMES – Brazil and Colombia, allies of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, joined the wave of rejection from the US, the European Union (EU), and other countries regarding the development of the Venezuelan electoral process and pointed out that the elections on July 28 are an opportunity to “strengthen” democracy in that country, as agreed in Barbados.

The reactions of the international community came the day after the end of the candidate registration period for the July 28^th presidential elections in Venezuela, in which the main opposition coalition, the Democratic Unity Platform, denounced obstacles to nominating its candidate, Corina Yoris, chosen due to the impossibility of Maria Corina Machado to compete because she is disqualified.

Finally, the Unity Platform reported the provisional registration of Edmundo González Urrutia, who may be replaced starting on April 1, provided he does not have any administrative sanctions or impediments under the law, and the National Electoral Council (CNE) admits the candidacy that replaces him.

Commitments Made in Barbados

The government of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, to whom Maduro committed to calling elections, was one of the first to express its “concern” and pointed out that the development of the electoral process “is not compatible” with the commitments of the Barbados agreement, signed in October 2023.

“Based on the available information, we note that the candidate (Corina Yoris) indicated by the Democratic Unity Platform, a political opposition force, and against whom there were no judicial decisions, was prevented from registering, which is not compatible with the Barbados agreement,” said the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.

Likewise, it reiterated that “Brazil is ready” to “cooperate” with the international community so that the elections “constitute a firm step for the normalization of political life and the strengthening of democracy” in Venezuela.

The Colombian government expressed its “concern” about the registration of “some presidential candidacies, particularly regarding the difficulties faced by major opposition sectors such as the Unity Platform and the Vente Venezuela Movement, among others.”

Colombia believes these decisions could “affect the confidence of some sectors of the international community in the transparency and competitiveness of the electoral process that will culminate in the presidential elections.”

The Response of the Maduro Government

Almost immediately, the Venezuelan government rejected the statements of its counterparts from Brazil and Colombia, saying they were responding to instructions from the US State Department.

“Issuing false judgments, even when the Foreign Minister (of Colombia) Luis Gilberto Murillo had accurate firsthand information, is not only an act of bad faith but also seeks to undermine the process of normalization of diplomatic, political, and commercial relations, which has been promoted by our presidents,” said Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil.

He added that the statements of the Gustavo Petro government are to “please the US State Department and its objectives.”

In a subsequent note, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry repudiated “the gray and interventionist statement drafted by officials of the Brazilian Foreign Ministry that seem to have been dictated from the US State Department, in which comments loaded with deep ignorance about the political reality in Venezuela are made.”

The United States’ Position

Precisely, the United States demanded on Tuesday that the Maduro government respect the right of all candidates to run for election and expressed concern about the decision of the National Electoral Council to prevent the registration of opposition candidate Corina Yoris.

“We are working with other members of the international community to ensure that Venezuelans can participate in inclusive and competitive elections, and we urge representatives of Maduro to allow all candidates to run,” said White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre.

The United States lifted sanctions on Venezuela in 2023, after the Barbados agreements, to give the Maduro government incentives to hold free elections. However, it conditioned that suspension on progress in the electoral process.

At the end of January, it re-imposed sanctions on the Venezuelan gold sector and warned that if the situation did not change, it would allow the licenses for oil and gas granted in Venezuela to expire on April 18.

“The irregular process” in Venezuela

The European Union also expressed its “deep concern” about “the irregular process” that is preventing the opposition from running in the elections and urged Venezuelan authorities to protect the civil and political rights of Venezuelans.

The Venezuelan government responded with a warning that it will make “important decisions” regarding its relationship with the European Union, a bloc that with its “blind adherence to Washington’s foreign policy, that sinks again into the mire of interventionism.”

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo warned that “the constant blockade of the opposition’s candidacy with harassment and persecution by the ruling party consolidates an undemocratic system.”

Meanwhile, Uruguayan Foreign Minister Omar Paganini went further by stating that Venezuela is consolidating itself as “a dictatorship” and that the electoral process “has been completely subverted.”

Indeed, Uruguay and Guatemala, along with Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru, expressed their “serious concern” yesterday about the “persistent impediments” to the registration of opposition presidential candidates in Venezuela.

Read more from Nicaragua here on Havana Times.