The Venezuelan opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, will continue to defend “institutional continuity” enabling free presidential and legislative elections to be held in Venezuela as the Maduro regime takes over the National Assembly at the beginning of January following the elections of 6 December, the results of which were rejected by the European Union (see EUROPE 12617/3).
On 5 January, “I will be in Caracas despite the threats to restore democracy”, he told the press on Wednesday 9 December, after discussions on the situation in his country with the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament. He invited his fellow citizens to participate en masse in the “popular consultation” on 12 December to enable him to extend his term as President of the National Assembly.
He said that this is the only way to guarantee “constitutional continuity” when, in violation of the Venezuelan Constitution, the Maduro regime increased the size of the National Assembly by 110 seats. In recent years, the government had also set up a puppet parliament, the National Constituent Assembly, to bypass the last stronghold of the opposition.
Mr Guaidó recalled a few figures which show the gravity of the economic and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, never before seen “in a country that is not at war”. Venezuela has the largest oil reserves yet a third of the population are starving, 5.1 million refugees have fled abroad, there is a recession reaching 80% of the national GDP and hyperinflation.
The Czech Dita Charanzová gave “the firm support” of the Renew Europe group “to the democratic forces led by Juan Guaidó”. Calling for “institutional continuity until free elections are held”, she also considered the new EU regime for punishing those guilty of human rights violations around the world (see EUROPE 12617/2) appropriate to the situation in Venezuela.
For Spaniard Jordi Cañas, the time has come to strengthen support for the Venezuelan political opposition against “a regime accused of crimes against humanity”. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)