President was received with honors befitting a head of state at La Moneda Palace, the seat of the Chilean government, in Santiago, Chile
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) was received by the President of Chile, Gabriel Boric (Convergência Social, left-wing), this Monday (5.Aug.2024) with honors as a head of state at the La Moneda Palace, the seat of the Chilean government. The two are meeting to discuss matters of interest to both countries, but should especially discuss the political crisis in Venezuela.
Lula arrived at Citizenship Square at 10:40 am (Brasília time), where he laid flowers next to the monument to the Liberator Bernardo O’Higgins. He was then received by Boric and inspected the Chilean troops.
The two presidents will hold a private meeting. At the end, they will make a joint statement to the press, but without the possibility of questions. Although the electoral impasse in Venezuela is not officially on the official agenda of the meeting, the topic will certainly be the main point of discussion. Lula and Boric initially disagreed on the issue.
Both demanded the release of the results from the electronic ballot boxes in the neighboring country after the Venezuelan National Electoral Council declared President Nicolás Maduro (United Socialist Party of Venezuela, left) reelected on July 28. The opposition disputes the result, saying there was fraud and that Edmundo González Urrutia (United Democratic Platform, center-right) is the true winner of the election.
Boric was emphatic in saying that he would not recognize the victory of the Chavista leader until the results could be verified, including by international observers. He said it was “hard to believe” in the result. Chilean ambassador to Venezuela, Arévalo Méndez, was expelled on July 29 because of Boric’s questioning.
Lula, on the other hand, downplayed the situation. He said on July 30 that “there is nothing serious” or of “not normal” in the electoral process of the neighboring country. The PT member stated that it is up to the courts to decide on the result and criticized the press for treating the case as if it were the “World War III”. Despite making demands, Brazilian diplomacy adopted a tone of neutrality to position itself as a mediator in the dialogue between Maduro and the opposition.
The Brazilian president has been called upon by the international community to toughen up his stance on Maduro.
Reporter Mariana Haubert traveled to Santiago, Chile, at the invitation of ApexBrasil (Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency).
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