Lula and Petro call for new elections in Venezuela, and the US reaffirms support for opposition victory – Diario La Página – 2024-08-18 04:41:12

New presidential elections in Venezuela. This is the main proposal of the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, to get out of the political turmoil that Venezuela is going through after the questioned elections of July 28, in which Caracas granted reelection to Nicolás Maduro.

Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, representatives of the Latin American left, are trying to mediate with Chavismo and the opposition for an eventual solution.

The call for new elections was supported by US President Joe Biden, but refuted by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and, above all, by Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.

The proposal was announced separately and first came from Brazil. During an interview with ‘Rádio T in Curitiba’, Lula da Silva proposed two options to overcome the Venezuelan crisis: the formation of a coalition government that includes both Chavistas and opponents, or the calling of new elections.

“Maduro has been in office for six months. If he acts with common sense, he could call new elections, forming an electoral committee with opposition members and international observers,” said the leader of the Latin American giant.

However, the Brazilian president, who during his previous administration was close to the Venezuelan left, then led by Hugo Chavez, stressed on Thursday that he still does not recognize Maduro’s proclaimed victory at the polls.

Three weeks after the elections took place, Caracas has not publicly shown any evidence or minutes showing that Maduro obtained more votes than his contender at the polls, the opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez. Instead, from the first minutes after the closing of the voting, the opposition displayed the minutes it collected at the polling stations which, it claims, show that Gonzalez won with close to 70% of the votes.

The Brazilian president also stressed that Maduro “owes an explanation” to the entire world about what is happening in his country. Lula regretted that the results of the elections could not be independently verified. All this in the midst of strong repression by the authorities against citizens protesting to denounce fraud, and the warnings of arrest made by the Venezuelan president against Machado and González.

Lula also admitted that his relationship with the current Venezuelan president, previously close, has “deteriorated” due to the “complicated” political situation in the South American country.

Gustavo Petro’s proposals for Venezuela

Colombian President Gustavo Petro also proposed new elections and an alternative similar to the coalition government suggested by Lula:

“Lifting of all sanctions against Venezuela. General national and international amnesty. Full guarantees for political action. Transitional cohabitation government. New free elections,” Petro outlined in a message on his account on the X platform.

The president also called for the creation of a transitional “national front,” inspired by the power-sharing agreement between liberals and conservatives in Colombia during the 20th century.

“It is up to Nicolás Maduro to find a political solution that brings peace and prosperity to Venezuela. The experience of the Colombian National Front could be useful in a temporary way,” Petro wrote.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Brazil, Mauro Vieira, and Colombia, Luis Gilberto Murillo, met on Thursday in Bogotá to discuss the situation in Venezuela, following a telephone conversation between the presidents of both countries. Although the details of that conversation have not been revealed, they may have discussed the proposal that both leaders are now suggesting.

After confusion, the US clarifies that it supports the opposition victory

US President Joe Biden has said in recent hours that he would support calling for new elections in Venezuela, after his Brazilian counterpart raised the idea, despite the snubs from Venezuela’s ruling party and its opposition, which claims victory in the July 28 elections.

However, the White House later clarified that there had been a confusion and that the US position remains to support the victory of opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzáles Urrutia.

During a meeting with reporters, Biden appeared to support Lula’s suggestion that Nicolás Maduro could call elections with the participation of international observers, as a possible solution to the political crisis in the country. But the White House later clarified that he was referring to another issue and does not support new elections.

Biden, who was addressing the media before boarding the presidential helicopter, replied “yes, I do,” to a reporter’s question about the Latin American leaders’ proposal to repeat the Venezuelan elections.

In response to the media impact caused by the US president’s response, a White House spokesman came out to clarify the president’s position, maintaining that Biden was confused by the question and reaffirming Washington’s recognition of González as the true winner of the elections.

In his response, “the president was referring to the absurdity of (President Nicolás) Maduro and his representatives not having been honest about the July 28 elections,” the White House spokesman said, followed by a statement from the US National Security Council, which added how “absolutely clear” it is for the United States that the opposition candidate received the most votes.

Washington, which also rejects Maduro’s declaration of victory, tightened oil sanctions against the OPEC member in April over what it said was Maduro’s failure to comply with an agreement on election conditions.

Moreover, other Western countries show little sign of taking swift and tough action on what many condemn as “electoral fraud.”

Maria Corina Machado rejects proposal for new elections
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who promoted Edmundo González’s candidacy after Chavismo disqualified his presidential aspirations, criticized Lula and Petro’s offer.

“Venezuelans voted and won. Popular Sovereignty is respected. Now, with more strength than ever: We will see each other this Saturday, August 17 in Venezuela and the World,” Machado said on her social networks, after learning of the offer and in reference to the new mobilizations she called for inside and outside her country next weekend to pressure the government to recognize what she describes as its defeat.

Maduro’s declaration of victory allows him to govern at least until 2031, since after years of Chavez’s government and the changes he has promoted in legislation, there are no limits on re-election in that country.

The declaration of victory gives the president a third consecutive term. Chavismo has already been in power for 25 years.