Emir Olivares and Laura Poy

The newspaper La Jornada
Saturday, August 3, 2024, p. 17

Was An excess that the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, came out to recognize the opposition candidate (Edmundo González) as the winner of the presidential election in Venezuela without there being any certainty of the results so far, considered President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

I apologize to Mr. Blinken, but that is not their responsibility; they are overstepping their bounds.he said during his morning press conference at the National Palace, and added: Where is the law? What does international law say on this matter? What is its basis? Who authorizes you to pronounce in favor of a candidate, if the minutes have not yet appeared?.

–To what extent can this interventionist stance by a heavyweight like the United States aggravate the crisis in Venezuela? – he was asked.

–I don’t know if it could make things worse, but it doesn’t help to resolve things. I say this with all due respect: it’s reckless!

We respectfully call on all governments to refrain from interventionism. No government is authorized, it is not legal, it is not legitimate, to issue a ruling declaring a candidate from another country the winner or the loser. What is that? There is no world government. That attitude has nothing to do with democracy, nor with respect for the independence, freedom, and sovereignty of peoples.

The Tabasco native once again criticized the interventionism of the Organization of American States, particularly that of its Secretary General, Luis Almagro.

On the other hand, in reference to the telephone conversation he held on Thursday with his counterparts from Brazil and Colombia, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Gustavo Petro, respectively, –in which they discussed the crisis in Venezuela– the head of the Mexican Executive indicated that priority was given to the call not to fall into violence and to wait for the official results of the electoral process.

He explained that the Colombian president considered that issuing a tripartite statement was insufficient, so the three leaders agreed that the foreign ministers of their nations would monitor the situation and present proposals.

It is about helping in whatever way we can, thinking beyond partisan, political, and ideological differences, putting the interests of the Venezuelan people in general first; not seeing this issue as a confrontation between enemies, but rather an electoral process in which adversaries compete, but Venezuelans, from the same people, from the same nation, and avoiding violence.