In a resolution adopted on Thursday 3 May, the European Parliament called for the immediate suspension of the organisation of early presidential elections in Venezuela, planned for Sunday 20 May, until the conditions characterising credible, transparent and open elections are fulfilled.
MEPs want a "realistic" electoral timetable and conditions of participation that are "identical for everyone, fair and transparent" and that enable the candidature of political figures from the ranks of the opposition.
If the Venezuelan presidential elections – which are expected to result in the re-election of President Nicolás Maduro – do not respond to democratic standards, the European Parliament will not recognise the elections stemming from this illegitimate process. The Parliament furthermore calls on the European Union and the Organisation of American States to act in a coordinated way.
The decision to organise elections that do not include all the country's political forces "will only exacerbate polarisation and tension, and it will create more obstacles to a political solution", High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini stated during a European Parliament plenary session the previous day.
She reiterated that in these conditions the EU will not send an electoral observation mission that would support the holding of elections (see EUROPE 11999). She added that the 28 EU member states would reassess the situation in Venezuela after the elections and that they would "consider the possibility of further appropriate measures to react to actions that would undermine democracy, the rule of law and human rights in the country". (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)