On Wednesday 2 August, the EU repeated the fact that it would not recognise the new Venezuelan Constituent Assembly elected on 30 July. It called for the Assembly to be suspended and said that it was prepared to “gradually exert further pressure” on the country and its president, Nicolas Maduro.
In a statement on behalf of the EU28, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said that “the European Union and its member states deeply regret the decision of the Venezuelan authorities to go ahead with the election of a Constituent Assembly on 30 July. The election of the Constituent Assembly has durably worsened the crisis in Venezuela. It risks undermining other legitimate institutions foreseen by the Constitution such as the National Assembly”.
Mogherini expressed her “doubts” about the legitimacy of the Constituent Assembly, given the circumstances of the election, the opposition boycott and bloody violence, in addition to the “unclear” legal attributions of the Assembly. She indicated that she was unable to recognise the Constituent Assembly and that “the effective installation of the Constituent Assembly should be suspended and the attributions of all institutions foreseen by the Constitution should be explicitly recognised”. She also called “on the government of President Nicolas Maduro to take urgent measures to rectify the course of events”.
The EU demands the release of all imprisoned political opponents and says that it is “deeply concerned” by the arrest and detention on Tuesday 1 August of two Venezuelan opposition leaders – the founder of the Voluntad Popular ('Popular Will', right-wing), Leopoldo Lopez, and the mayor of Caracas, Antonio Ledezma.
Mogherini appealed “to all those in Venezuela who have the democratic mandate to govern, to legislate and to administer law: they all need to exercise their respective responsibilities and negotiate a way forward” (in Venezuela) together with guarantees for full respect of constitutional rights and legitimate Venezuelan state institution mandates, particularly those of the National Assembly, Supreme Court and the General Prosecutor’s Office.
The EU high representative said that she had been encouraged by the offers made by Latin America and other international actors to facilitate these negotiations.
Calling on all the different parties to refrain from violence and for the authorities in the country to ensure full respect for human rights, Mogherini also warned that the EU and its member states were “ready to gradually step up their response in case democratic principles are further undermined and the Venezuelan Constitution is not respected”.
Although Spain is calling for retaliation measures against the regime of Maduro, this option has not obtained unanimous support from the member states. The situation could, however, further evolve given the crisis that has led to more than 120 deaths in clashes between government forces and opponents since the beginning of the protest movement in April.
On Wednesday, Maduro announced that the Constituent Assembly would be set up. This was initially planned for Thursday but was postponed until Friday. He promised that that it would be organised “in peace, tranquillity and with all the required protocol”.
A supporter of former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, the general prosecutor in Venezuela, Luisa Ortega, has broken with Chavez's successor and has become one of his main adversaries. On Wednesday, she announced that she had opened an investigation into suspected fraud surrounding the election of the Constituent Assembly sought by Maduro to enable him to write a new Constitution and provide him with full powers. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)