Gustavo Petro and Lula da Silva received harsh criticism for their position on Venezuela: “It is cruel to the population”

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, left, and Colombian President Gustavo Petro insisted on negotiations for the Venezuelan crisis – credit André Borges/Mauricio Dueñas Castañeda/EFE

On Saturday, August 24, 2024, the Colombian Foreign Ministry, through a joint statement by Presidents Gustavo Petro (Colombia) and Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva (Brazil), maintained its position of publishing the electoral records by Venezuela, after the elections on Sunday, July 28, and that, according to the National Electoral Council of that country, the winner was Nicolás Maduro.

“Presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Gustavo Petro held telephone conversations yesterday and today (23 and 24/8) on the subject of the presidential elections in Venezuela. Both presidents remain convinced that the credibility of the electoral process can only be restored through the transparent publication of verifiable data broken down by electoral section.“, the statement reads.

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Joint statement from Brazil and Colombia on the situation in Venezuela – credit @petrogustavo/X

The leaders have received criticism at the national level. Senator Maria Fernanda Cabal of the Centro questioned the request of Gustavo Petro and Lula Da Silva, which is why she stated that the minutes that should be reviewed are those published by Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez, opposition leaders.

“Lula and Petro are a disgrace to all of Latin America; their complacent attitude towards the narco-dictator reveals their support for Venezuela’s electoral theft“, the congresswoman said.

Maria Fernanda Cabal’s criticism of Gustavo Petro and Lula da Silva – credit @MariaFdaCabal/X

Juan Carlos Pinzón, former Minister of Defense in the government of Juan Manuel Santos, described the joint statement by the presidents of Colombia and Brazil as unacceptable.

“This statement only seeks to strengthen Maduro. They are interested in the regime’s survival, they seek to justify the fraud and give the world time to get used to it, forget, and begin a new cycle of ‘negotiations.’ It is cruel to the population and their right to choose.“, said Pinzón.

Criticism by Juan Carlos Pinzón of the position of Colombia and Brazil – credit @PinzonBueno/X

Former Education Minister Alejandro Gaviria criticized Gustavo Petro’s position through a short message on his X account. “Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and crimes seem respectable”Gaviria said.

Alejandro Gaviria on the position of Colombia and Brazil on the situation in Venezuela – credit @agaviriau/X

José Manuel Restrepo, former Minister of Finance in the Government of Iván Duque, rejected the position of the head of State, indicating that the president is on the “wrong side of history.”

“On the wrong side of history! Why is it so hard to defend democracy, reject the obvious electoral fraud and demand respect for the human rights of opposition actors?“, Restrepo said.

Criticism by José Manuel Restrepo of the position of Colombia and Brazil on the situation in Venezuela – credit @jrestrp/X

Before the official publication by the Foreign Ministry, former Vice President Germán Vargas Lleras launched criticism against Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo, stating that Colombia will end up recognizing the victory of dictator Nicolás Maduro.

“11 countries in the region do not recognize Maduro and our foreign minister is still in consultations; probably in the next few days we will ratify the victory of the dictatorship in Venezuela. Unworthy and bad precedent. This is a preview of what can happen to Colombia in 2026. And I wonder: What does our foreign minister want to mediate about? When what he should do is solve the passport issue. and all the corruption that today revolves around his expedition and that sooner or later will explode“, said the leader of Cambio Radical.

Germán Vargas Lleras and his criticism of President Petro on the situation in Venezuela – credit @German_Vargas/X

Presidents Gustavo Petro and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva agreed to express their “total opposition to the continued use of unilateral sanctions as an instrument of pressure. They share the understanding that unilateral sanctions are contrary to international law and harm the population of the sanctioned countries, especially the most vulnerable groups.”

This is not the first time that Brazilian and Colombian authorities have requested the release of official records of the July elections. At the beginning of August, the foreign ministers of these two countries and Mexico did the same, assuming a mediating role at the regional level.

Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, the United States, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Argentina, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay in a joint statement rejected the decision of the Supreme Court of Justice.