AP, Sputnik, Xinhua and AFP

The newspaper La Jornada
Saturday, August 17, 2024, p. 22

Buenos Aires., Led by the United States, 21 countries, plus the European Union (EU), yesterday demanded the immediate publication of the electoral records, the release of the prisoners, the issuance of safe-conduct passes for the six refugees in the Argentine embassy in Caracas and a impartial and independent verification of the results of the presidential elections held on July 28.

We take note of the preliminary report of the United Nations panel of experts on the presidential elections in Venezuela, which indicates that the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela has not yet presented the electoral records that support the veracity of the results announced on August 2.said a joint statement released by the Argentine Foreign Ministry.

The signatory countries, who met in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, called on the Broad, inclusive and good faith dialogue to facilitate a political agreement that fosters national reconciliation and democracy in Venezuela; in addition, they committed to support all efforts, always advocating for a genuinely Venezuelan solutionhe explained.

The text included nations from different continents, including: Argentina, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Spain, United States, Guatemala, Guyana, Italy, Morocco, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Dominican Republic, Suriname and Uruguay.

Meanwhile, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said that given the declaration of victory by both the government and the opposition, it is necessary see the numbers, the minuteshe said.

There was an election, President (Nicolás) Maduro declared himself the winner, the opposition claims he wonthe president said in statements to local Radio Gaúcha, I can only acknowledge the final verdict if the evidence is shownhe added.

Lula reported on his conversation about the Venezuelan situation with his counterparts from Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and from Colombia, Gustavo Petro, and wished Venezuela has a process of international recognition and that depends solely on its government. The opposition knows this and Maduro knows it too..

Authoritarian bias

He added that Venezuela He lives under a very unpleasant regime; it is not a dictatorship, but it is a government with an authoritarian bias..

Lula warned that There was haste in the sanction against Venezuela by the EU, since they cannot condemn but rather organize a dialoguea situation that he expressed to the head of the German government, Olaf Scholz, and to the president of France, Emmanuel Macron.

The opposition did not like my idea that Maduro still has six months left in office and could call new elections. Maduro did not like it either.the Brazilian admitted.

International analyst Mariano de Alba published on his X account that the call for new elections by Lula and Petro is part of the theoretical proposals to resolve the conflict, but If there was effective mediationhe continued, It would not be the presidents of Brazil and Colombia who are making public proposals on how to move forward, but rather they would be working with the opposition and the government to reach an agreement..

Meanwhile, new mobilizations were called for today in more than 300 cities in Venezuela and other countries by the opposition to defend the victory attributed to Edmundo González; Chavismo also announced a demonstration, although it did not offer details.