Maduro rejects proposal and reiterates that they are sovereign and independent // The voting has already taken place and we wonsays the opposition leader
▲ The National Assembly unanimously approved yesterday a legislation that sets rules for non-governmental organizations operating in the South American nation.Photo Ap
AFP, Reuters and Europa Press
The newspaper La Jornada
Friday, August 16, 2024, p. 24
Caracas. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva yesterday suggested calling new elections in Venezuela as a way out of the post-electoral crisis the country is going through, an initiative that was later supported by his Colombian counterparts, Gustavo Petro, and the United States President Joe Biden, although the White House later corrected itself and said that he was referring to the fact that Venezuelan authorities should clarify the results and not repeat the elections.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has distanced himself from Lula’s proposal, which was rejected by opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
Ripe I could try to appeal to the people of Venezuela, perhaps even call for an electoral programme, establish criteria for the participation of all candidates (…) and let observers from all over the world go and watch the elections.Lula said in an interview, noting that not yet acknowledged the results.
The Brazilian president added that a coalition government This could be another possible solution for Venezuela after the presidential elections of July 28, in which the National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner, and which the opposition claims, without evidence, were fraudulent.
If (Maduro) has common sense, he could put it to the people, perhaps calling new elections with a non-partisan electoral committee.Lula said in a radio interview.
An explanation to the world
He insisted that the Venezuelan government must publish the voting results, which have not been disclosed. Maduro knows he owes an explanation to Brazil and the worldLula stressed.
Along the same lines, Petro asked new free elections with full guarantees for political action and the lifting of all sanctions United States economic measures against Venezuela.
Asked by a White House reporter whether he supports new elections in Venezuela, Biden said yes.
Earlier in the day, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel declined to comment specifically on the call for new elections, but reiterated U.S. concern about the conduct of the vote in the South American country.
However, shortly afterward, Sean Savett, a spokesman for the US National Security Council, clarified that Biden, who did not seem to understand the question, was referring to the Venezuelan authorities needing to clarify the results. It is more than clear that (the opposition candidate) Edmundo González Urrutia obtained the majority of the votes. We call for the will of the people to be respected and for debates to begin on a transition that returns to democratic norms.Savett said on social network X.
Homeland Security spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. has not made any amnesty offers to Maduro, and said Washington still wants to see the vote tallies.
Maduro distanced himself from the proposal of his Brazilian and Colombian counterparts. Without mentioning the issue directly, Maduro insisted that Venezuela has sovereignty and is an independent country. I do not practice microphone diplomacy, I never do.the president told the official press team and added: Otherwise, one becomes an advisor to other countries..
And referring to Biden, he said: I fully and absolutely reject the United States government’s attempt to become the electoral authority in Venezuela or anywhere in the world..
The Chavista leader referred to Biden’s statement: So, he (Biden) gives an opinion, and half an hour later some State Department spokesmen deny it. In the end, who rules in the United States? Who runs that nation’s foreign policy?Maduro said ironically.
The Venezuelan president had already ruled out repeating the elections on July 31, three days after his proclamation. “I won the game of dominoes and I ask for it to be repeated? Is this how we are playing dominoes? I win and ‘please repeat this!’ No, you already won, have a beer,” he said earlier in a press conference.
The opposition flatly rejected the proposal for new elections. Machado considered a lack of respect Venezuelans to repeat presidential elections, the voting has already taken placewhile Gonzalez pointed out that The presidential elections in Venezuela were held on July 28 and were overwhelmingly won by Edmundo González Urrutia.
NGO regulation
In this context, the National Assembly unanimously approved a law to regulate non-governmental organizations as part of a legislative package requested by Nicolás Maduro, regarding which activists from various social fronts fear that the government will restrict their civil rights.
Discussion of the text, which was launched in January 2023, was resumed this week following Maduro’s request to speed up the discussion of a package of laws that also includes the regulation of social networks and punishment against fascism.
At the time of going to press, the deputy spokesperson for the General Secretariat of the United Nations, Farhan Haq, explained that the organization’s panel of experts for the presidential elections in Venezuela disclosed its preliminary study due to its transparency policy. The report concludes that the lack of publication of the minutes of the electoral scrutiny It is unprecedented in contemporary democratic elections..