Borrell regretted that the EU electoral observation mission was not invited to Venezuela

• The National Electoral Council cancelled the invitation to the European delegation due to the ratification of sanctions by the community block

The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, regretted that Venezuela will revoke the invitation to the European Union (EU) to observe the presidential elections on July 28 and considered that his presence would have had “a very important added value.”

“I think the European Union would have provided a very important added value and I am very sorry that the Venezuelan government did not want us to be there,” Borrell said in an interview with the EFE news agency.

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said that no other type of election observation can compare with that provided by the EU mission.

“No one is in a position to carry out an election observation mission as comprehensive, as numerous, as technically capable and as experienced as the European Union. The Carter Foundation is there, very well, welcome, but it is not comparable either in size, scope or duration,” Borrell said.

In this way, he emphasized that the absence of the EU electoral observation mission will prevent the international community from having the guarantee that these elections can be approved and that the freedom of expression of Venezuelans has been allowed.

Photo: EFE

“EU missions are highly respected, recognised and valued. Being or not being there allows or prevents you from having a say in how things develop and therefore we cannot say that these choices have or have not been one way or another,” he explained.

Cancellation of invitation to EU mission

On May 28, the National Electoral Council (CNE) cancelled the invitation to the European Union (EU) to send an observation mission for the presidential elections on 28 July, due to the ratification of sanctions by the community bloc once morest members of the government and the ruling party.

“The Electoral Power revokes and renders void the invitation it extended to the EU to participate through a monitoring mission,” said Elvis Amoroso, president of the CNE.

In his opinion, it would be “immoral” to allow the participation of the EU due to what he called interventionist practices once morest Venezuela, even though Venezuela had accepted an observation mission from the 27 in the regional elections of 2021, when the same measures were in place.

The EU questioned the decision of the CNE, in a statement published in X and shared by the delegation of the 27 in the country.

Photo: EFE

“The Venezuelan people should be able to elect their president in credible, transparent and competitive elections, supported by international monitoring, including by the European Union, which has a long and distinguished record of independent and impartial monitoring,” the EU text said.

They also called on the electoral body to reconsider this decision, in accordance with the Barbados Agreement, signed by the Venezuelan authorities and opposition parties, which specifically established that an observation mission from the community bloc would be invited.

According to Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil, more than 635 international observers have confirmed their visit to Venezuela to observe the electoral process, including members of the Carter Center, the Council of Electoral Experts of Latin America (Ceela) and the African Union.

Ten candidates will compete on July 28, including President Nicolás Maduro, who is seeking re-election, and former ambassador Edmundo González Urrutia, standard-bearer of the main opposition coalition.

With information from EFE

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