The Portuguese government does not recognize the “reelection” of dictator Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, since the electoral records were not released by the Chavista National Electoral Council (CNE), and calls for an end to the persecution of the political opposition, according to what the Portuguese Foreign Minister, Paulo Rangel, said in an interview on Wednesday (25).
Rangel spoke to the Colombian radio station W Radio during his visit to New York, USA, where he is to participate in the United Nations General Assembly.
The Portuguese foreign minister said that the country’s position is “very close” to that of the European Union (EU) and, as time is passing and the election results are not known, which, he recalled, should have already been released, his country does not recognize them.
Rangel stated that it was important that the minutes be released, because without them “this result cannot be recognized”, and expressed his concern about the situation in Venezuela.
“It is necessary to end all persecution of the opposition, we are very concerned about the situation of freedoms and very supportive of the countries that have citizens who were detained in this post-election period,” he commented.
The minister explained that Portugal is in contact with “friendly countries”, such as Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Brazil and Colombia, “to find a solution that can offer democratic transparency and provide a way out of the political situation”.
Venezuela held presidential elections on July 28 and the Chavista regime proclaimed Maduro’s victory, but the opposition claims that the winner was its candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, who has been a refugee in Spain since September 8 after requesting political asylum following persecution and threats.
#Portugal #recognize #Maduros #reelection #Venezuela