Lula: “Venezuela is living under a very unpleasant regime, with an authoritarian tendency”

Lula asks that the minutes of the elections of July 28 be shown / Photo: Courtesy

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Friday that Venezuela “lives under a very unpleasant regime, with an authoritarian tendency,” although he stopped short of calling it a “dictatorship,” and again demanded that the minutes of the electoral process be published.

“The opposition says it won, (President Nicolás) Maduro says he won and I can only acknowledge that the process was democratic if they present the evidence,” Lula said in an interview with Radio Gaúcha.

The Brazilian president commented on the contrary reaction of Maduro and the opposition to the suggestion he made on Thursday to hold new elections if a result is not recognized.

“They didn’t like the idea,” Lula admitted, stressing once again that the solution to the political conflict unleashed after the July 28 elections “depends solely and exclusively on the behavior of Venezuelans.”

Regarding the position of the Brazilian government, he reiterated that in order to recognize the results of the elections, it is necessary to “know whether the numbers are true” presented by the National Electoral Council (CNE), which awarded the victory to Maduro, and the opposition, which denounces fraud and claims the victory.

To this end, Lula insisted on the dissemination of the results table by table, which the National Electoral Council has not yet published. “Where are these minutes?” he reiterated.

The Brazilian president also considered that the current conflict will not lead to a “civil war”, as has been warned in various political circles both inside and outside Venezuela.

“I think there are many countries willing to help us live in peace in South America,” said Lula, who is trying to carry out a kind of mediation together with the presidents of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, and Mexico, Manuel Andrés López Obrador, although the latter has distanced himself from that process in recent days.

Brasilia / EFE