Venezuela summons Spain’s ambassador in Caracas and calls its representative in Madrid for consultations | El Diario Vasco

Gil also reported that he had summoned the Spanish ambassador in Caracas, Ramón Santos Martínez, to appear today at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

At the presentation of a book at the Ateneo de Madrid, Margarita Robles expressed her solidarity with “the men and women of Venezuela who have had to leave their country” because of “the dictatorship they live under,” words that the Venezuelan foreign minister described as “insolent, interventionist and rude,” and which, she said, “point to a deterioration” of bilateral relations.

According to the UN, more than 7 million Venezuelans have left their country fleeing the political and economic crisis.

Edmundo González, 75, wanted by the Venezuelan justice system, claims victory and denounces fraud in the presidential elections of July 28, in which Maduro was proclaimed re-elected for a third six-year term (2025-2031).

“Spain continues to work in favour of democracy, dialogue and the fundamental rights of the brotherly people of Venezuela,” wrote X Sánchez on the social network, whose government, in line with the position of the European Union, demands that the electoral records of the Venezuelan elections be made public, although without recognising the opposition victory.

The meeting between Sánchez and González took place with relations between Madrid and Caracas already in jeopardy, after the head of the Venezuelan Parliament, Jorge Rodríguez, proposed breaking diplomatic, consular and commercial ties on Wednesday.

“Let all representatives of the delegation of the government of the Kingdom of Spain and all consulates and all consuls leave here and we will bring our own people from there!” cried Rodríguez, who asked the Legislative Foreign Policy Commission to approve a resolution that would then have to be ratified in the plenary session of the chamber.

Rodríguez was reacting to a proposal approved Wednesday by the Spanish Congress, at the request of the right-wing opposition and opposed by Sánchez’s Socialist Party, to ask the government to recognize González Urrutia’s victory. An estimated 280,000 Venezuelans live in Spain, including several opposition leaders. The figure does not include those with dual nationality.

Faced with the possibility of a break in relations, Spanish government spokesperson Pilar Alegría told reporters on Thursday that her country is “interested” in “always working to maintain the best relations with the Venezuelan people.”

Venezuelan analyst Mariano de Alba, an advisor on international relations and diplomacy, told AFP that if a break were to occur, “it would confirm that the Maduro government is willing to isolate itself from the West in order to remain in power.”

Also on Thursday, Washington announced sanctions against 16 officials, including the president of the Supreme Court of Justice, Caryslia Rodríguez, as well as electoral authorities and members of the military high command and intelligence services.

Among them is the head of the Strategic Operational Command of the Armed Forces, General Domingo Hernández Lárez, responsible for military operations. The judge who ordered the arrest of González Urrutia was also sanctioned for “conspiracy” and “sabotage.”

According to the United States, which is demanding detailed scrutiny of the Venezuelan presidential election, these officials “prevented a transparent electoral process and the publication of accurate election results.”

The Venezuelan government condemned the measure, which it described as a “rude act” to “ingratiate itself with a political class that has resorted to fascist and violent practices to unsuccessfully overthrow Bolivarian democracy.”

Some 50 countries, including the United States, have called, alongside the European Union as a bloc at the United Nations, for electoral authorities to “immediately” disclose the detailed results of the elections and allow for their “impartial verification.”