Nicolás Maduro “lacks the legitimacy of a democratically elected president” because “millions of Venezuelans voted for democratic change by supporting Edmundo González by a significant majority.” The European Union wanted to make its position clear about what happened in the Venezuelan elections held last summer this Friday, January 10, in which Maduro took office as president without offering evidence of having won at the polls by refusing to show the minutes. of the votes. It has also harshly attacked the repression unleashed by the regime and sanctioned 15 Venezuelan officials for “undermining democracy, human rights and the rule of law,” according to the statement issued by the high representative for Foreign Policy, Kaja Kallas.
These sanctions, already announced last December, come into force this Friday and are added to the punishment that already weighs on another 55 people. In total, there are 70 sanctioned. Among them, Caryslia Rodríguez, president of the National Electoral Council, and several members of the Supreme Court of the Caribbean country or the intelligence service (Sebin).
“Since election day, Venezuelan authorities have tightened repression and harassment against the opposition and civil society and their families, imprisoning dissident voices and forcing their own citizens to live in fear or go into exile. More than 2,500 citizens, including minors, were detained,” highlights the joint text of the Twenty-Seven, in which Spain has played an important role in promoting it, European sources point out. The paragraph ends by demanding that the Maduro regime release “unconditionally all political prisoners.”
Although the EU, through its public statements and even with recognitions such as the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Conscience from the European Parliament, has supported the Venezuelan opposition, it has not recognized Edmundo González Urrutia as elected president of Venezuela. Nor has the vast majority of Member States done so, only Italy and in a lukewarm manner. He is still planning what happened with the opposition Juan Guaidó in 2019, when many European countries – including Spain – recognized him as “interim president”, but the initiative did not bring about regime change.
But there is also no recognition of Maduro’s self-proclaimed victory by the EU. Neither the European institutions nor their member states have sent representatives to the investiture ceremony, which is not even attended by the ambassadors of the Twenty-seven in the Caribbean country.
Nor do the United States, Brazil, Chile and other countries on the continent recognize Maduro as the winner in the elections. The Venezuelan regime has refused to show the electoral records of July 28; The opposition, for its part, declared its candidate, Edmundo González, the winner, with those he had managed to collect. These minutes have been verified by the Carter Center, one of the few international bodies that obtained permission from Caracas to observe the electoral process. The United Nations, for its part, noted that the elections “met the basic measures of transparency and integrity that are essential for the conduct of credible elections.”
Following the path marked by the conclusions of the last European Council, the text released by Kallas this Friday points out that “the European Union supports all those who defend democratic values in Venezuela, including defenders of human rights.” The statement also goes on to indicate that “the EU will continue to work with all Venezuelans and with regional and international partners to promote dialogue and a democratic solution to the crisis led by Venezuelans that restores political stability, economic growth and social well-being for the millions of Venezuelans who face critical needs.”
Regarding the sanctions, the statement indicates that “no measure has been adopted that could harm the Venezuelan population or economy.” “The responsibility for ending the crisis in Venezuela falls on its authorities,” he points out, adding that “the reversal of EU sanctions will depend on tangible progress in terms of human rights and the rule of law in Venezuela, along with “significant steps towards genuine dialogue and democratic transition.”
