Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa on Friday demanded “total transparency” in the elections called for this Sunday in Venezuela and expressed his concern that “recalcitrant figures of the old politics want to perpetuate themselves in power, they want to keep this prosperous nation kidnapped and alienated from the world.”
In a message posted on social media, Noboa also called on the government to cease hostilities against the opposition to the government of President Nicolás Maduro and to respect the results of these elections called for Sunday.
“It is imperative that these elections be carried out with complete transparency and freedom. The will of the people is sacred and those who are not favored at the polls must respect that mandate and step down from power. Venezuela deserves a free and fair election that reflects the true will of its people,” said Noboa.
“Venezuela is on the threshold of a historic moment. It is essential that citizens have the opportunity to elect their leaders freely, without pressure and in a democratic environment, worthy of a people like the Venezuelan people,” he added.
The Ecuadorian president said that “elections must be won with courage and a genuine commitment to the country, not through threats or coercion.”
“The historical memory of a nation that has faced and overcome poverty and abandonment must be respected. These elections must be a manifestation of love and respect for the homeland, not a means to satisfy desires for power,” warned the president.
“Those who try to cling to power, against the popular will, seek to perpetuate authoritarianism, corruption, poverty and social and economic inequality, putting their personal interests above the well-being of millions of their compatriots,” added Noboa, a 36-year-old businessman who became Latin America’s youngest head of state in 2023 by winning Ecuador’s extraordinary general elections.
The President of Ecuador recalled that democracy “is the mechanism that allows citizens to participate in decisions that affect their lives, ensuring that their voices are heard and respected.” “That is the least that Venezuela deserves, the least that our region deserves,” he added.
Maduro, in power since 2013, will face Edmundo González Urrutia on Sunday, a 74-year-old former diplomat who became the opposition candidate after leader María Corina Machado was disqualified and who leads the voting intention, according to traditional pollsters in the South American country.
Chavismo, however, maintains that Maduro will win, despite independent polls reflecting the weariness of much of the population amid a fierce economic crisis that has devastated the country in the last decade.
There are currently 477,000 Venezuelans residing in Ecuador, who are part of the 7.7 million who have left Venezuela in recent years, according to data from the Regional Interagency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela (R4V), led jointly by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Caracas / EFE
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2024-07-28 11:29:08
