“The European Union is ready to start work towards applying targeted sanctions” against those who violate the Rule of law in Venezuela, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said on Thursday 9 January in a statement adopted on behalf of the EU.
For the Twenty-Eight, the election of Luis Parra, the candidate of the Maduro regime, as head of the National Assembly, while its President Juan Guaidó and his supporters were held outside the Venezuelan Parliament, is “illegitimate” because it did not respect the applicable democratic procedures. This incident has led, according to them, to a resurgence of the political crisis in the country.
The Twenty-Eight thus reaffirm their support for Mr Guaidó as President of the Assembly, the only stronghold of the Venezuelan political opposition, which is due to be renewed in 2020. The decisions of this assembly are systematically annulled by the courts and, in practice, a Constituent Assembly composed solely of Chavist deputies carries out the legislative work.
The takeover by the Maduro regime would facilitate the validation by parliamentarians of the international agreements concluded by Caracas, in particular the economic partnerships with Russia.
In addition, the EU, reiterating its call for credible presidential elections in Venezuela, is considering additional measures to address the humanitarian crisis in the country and in neighbouring countries hosting hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who have fled their country.
On the same day, the International Contact Group, composed of eight Member States and four Latin American countries (see EUROPE 12397/2), also described Mr Parra’s election as illegitimate and undemocratic.
On Tuesday 14 January, at the request of the EPP group, MEPs will debate the political crisis in Venezuela on the basis of these latest events. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)