- Petro and Lula da Silva issued a joint statement on Tuesday, September 3 | Photo: EFE
The governments of Brazil and Colombia expressed their concern about the recent arrest warrant issued by a Venezuelan court against the standard-bearer of the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), Edmundo González.
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, September 3, Presidents Gustavo Petro and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said that this judicial measure “seriously” affects the commitments assumed by the government of Nicolás Maduro in the Barbados Agreement, in 2023.
“This judicial measure seriously affects the commitments assumed by the Venezuelan government under the Barbados Accords, in which the government and the opposition reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen democracy and promote a culture of tolerance and coexistence,” the two governments said in a joint statement.
Joint statement by Colombia and Brazil on arrest warrant for presidential candidate in Venezuela pic.twitter.com/Dv9tRFYG1p
— Colombian Foreign Ministry (@CancilleriaCol) September 3, 2024
The presidents of Colombia and Brazil have tried to mediate in the crisis that has been brewing in Venezuela since the electoral body announced the disputed victory of Nicolás Maduro in the elections on July 28.
Neither country has yet recognized Maduro’s victory, instead hoping to request that the electoral records be published and open avenues for dialogue with both parties.
In this new joint statement, they do not mention any winner, but it is another step of pressure on Maduro coming from two of his South American allies, who consider that the arrest warrant against González Urrutia “makes it difficult to find a peaceful solution, based on dialogue between the main political forces in Venezuela.”
Post-electoral crisis in Venezuela
On August 22, the Supreme Court endorsed the result of the National Electoral Council (CNE) that declared Maduro the winner, a victory that the opposition led by candidate González Urrutia and María Corina Machado refuse to recognize and that multiple Latin American countries have also questioned.
On Monday, September 2, the opposition suffered this new attack, as the Prosecutor’s Office accused the opposition standard-bearer of “usurpation of functions,” “forgery of public documents,” “instigation to disobedience of laws,” “conspiracy,” “sabotage to damage systems and association (to commit crimes).”
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, these charges respond to data published by the PUD on a website, which show González Urrutia’s victory by a wide margin in the elections, and for this reason he asked a court specializing in terrorism crimes on Monday to issue an arrest warrant.
Brazil toughens its speech
Lula, whose party was one of the first to recognize Maduro’s victory, has hardened his stance in recent days regarding the official result of the presidential elections, insisting on not recognizing the victory of Chavismo and demanding the disaggregated publication of the results certifying the victory of the Venezuelan president.
The Brazilian president said there was “no evidence” of Maduro’s victory, but clarified that he did not recognize González Urrutia as the winner of the July 28 elections.
Colombia, for its part, remained silent in the face of the Supreme Court’s announcement, and its foreign minister, Luis Gilberto Murillo, insisted that they remain committed to building bridges to achieve “fundamental solutions in Venezuela.”
“We must be very attentive to ensure that Colombia remains a country that builds bridges and can facilitate and mediate for fundamental solutions in Venezuela, and that these are solutions that come from dialogue and political negotiation among Venezuelans themselves,” Murillo said after leaving a meeting with the Foreign Relations Advisory Committee on Tuesday.
With information from EFE
Related news
#Brazil #Colombia #concerned #arrest #warrant #Edmundo #González
2024-09-04 16:04:17
