Venezuela's justice system inhibited María Corina's political rights; MEPs say they will not recognize election without their participation
The European Parliament condemned on Thursday (8.Feb.2024) the decision of the TSJ (Superior Court of Justice) of Venezuela to inhibit political rights by María Corina Machado, one of the main leaders of the opposition to Nicolás Maduro.
According to MEPs, the electoral results should not be recognized if she is excluded from the dispute. Here's the complete of the resolution, in English (PDF – 131 kB). The text was approved by 446 votes in favor, 21 against and 32 abstentions.
The European Parliament he said that the decision of the Venezuelan TSJ, dated January 26, “has no legal basis, so the winner of the opposition primaries remains eligible to stand for election” in the country. MEPs said they condemned “strongly” attempts to prevent other opposition politicians, such as Henrique Capriles, from holding public office.
Corina won the opposition primary elections in October 2023 to face Maduro in this year's presidential election, which still has no date yet to be held.
MEPs urged EU (European Union) countries to reinforce existing sanctions against Nicolás Maduro's regime until it demonstrates “a clear and ongoing commitment to respect basic democratic norms, the rule of law and human rights”.
They also called for new sanctions against Venezuelan Supreme Court judges and members of the country's security forces.”involved in systematic abuses against government opponents”.
According to the text, the persecution of opposition candidates by the Maduro regime constitutes a serious violation of the agreement signed last year in Barbados. At the time, representatives of the Venezuelan government and the opposition, to hold free and fair presidential elections in 2024.
The Barbados agreement was mentioned by the special advisor to the Presidency of the Republic of Brazil, Celso Amorim, when reiterate the defense of free and fair elections in Venezuela. He spoke by telephone on February 2 with the president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez.
In note (complete – PDF – 788 KB), Brazil says that the agreement results “at the dialogue table between government and opposition mediated by Norway and received support, among others, from Brazil and the USA”.
After the Venezuelan TSJ decision, the US resumed sanctions agreed in October 2023. At the time, the US government agreed to ease commercial penalties on the Venezuelan oil sector in exchange for free and internationally monitored presidential elections.
Latin American countries condemned the decision of Justice in Venezuela. Among them, Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador and Paraguay.
The Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is monitoring the situation in Venezuela with “concern”. In a note, he regrets the decision to veto Corina. Here's the complete (PDF – 157 kB, in Spanish).
Uruguay said that the Venezuelan Court's decision contradicts what was agreed in Barbados. Here's the complete (PDF – 271 kB, in Spanish) of the note issued by the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On X (formerly Twitter), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of Ecuador rejected the Supreme Court's decision against Maduro's opponent.
In a statement, the government of Paraguay stated “concern” with Venezuela’s electoral process and mentioned, without mentioning Corina by name, the need to “carry out free, transparent presidential elections with the participation of all candidates”.
The Idea group (Democratic Initiative of Spain and the Americas), made up of 37 former presidents of the region, condemned Corina's veto. They also informed that they recognize his political leadership in the Venezuelan elections. Here's the complete of the letter (PDF – 920 kB, in Spanish).
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).
Read more:
#European #Parliament #condemns #veto #Venezuelan #opposition
