Appeal is made by Celso Amorim in conversation with members of the Venezuelan National Assembly; Brasília, however, opposes sanctions
The special advisor to the Presidency of the Republic, Celso Amorim, spoke by telephone with the president of the National Assembly of Venezuela, Jorge Rodríguez, and reiterated his defense of free and fair elections in the country. In this sense, he asked the Nicolás Maduro government to comply with the Barbados Agreementwhich seeks, according to the government, to “consensus building” that allow Venezuela “hold presidential elections in 2024”.
In a note issued on Monday night (Feb 5, 2024), Palácio do Planalto informed that the call was made on Friday (Feb 2). The representative of the Unitary Platform (Venezuela's opposition alliance), Gerardo Blyde, participated in the conversation. Here's the full statement (PDF – 788 KB).
“The agreements, which established parameters for the holding of presidential elections this year, resulted from the dialogue table between the government and opposition mediated by Norway and received support, among others, from Brazil and the USA”says the text.
The call came about because, on January 26, the then opposition candidate, María Corina Machado, was prevented by the TSJ (Superior Court of Justice) from running for President of Venezuela. She was considered Maduro's main opponent.
The decision caused the US to review the suspension of sanctions agreed in October 2023. At the time, the North American country agreed to ease commercial punishments on Venezuela's oil sector in exchange for free and internationally monitored presidential elections.
On the subject, the Brazilian government states in the note that “reiterates its well-known position against sanctions, which violate international law and penalize the population”.
The president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro Moros, 60 years old, heads an autocratic regime with no guarantees of fundamental freedoms. He keeps, for example, people imprisoned for what he considers “political crimes”. There are also restrictions described in OAS reports (on “illegitimate appointment” of the National Electoral Council by an illegitimate National Assembly) and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (of October 2022in November 2022 it's from March 2023).
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