Lacalle Pou expresses his admiration for the commitment of Maria Corina Machado

Lacalle Pou held a conversation with María Corina Machado / Photo: EFE

Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou on Friday expressed his admiration for the commitment of Venezuelan María Corina Machado, who is disqualified from running for the presidency of her country.

“We have said it time and time again: free elections, respect for human rights and full democracy. Your commitment and effort for the Venezuelan cause is admirable,” were the words used by the president to respond on social media X to a post in which Machado said they had had a dialogue.

“I just spoke with the President of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou, whom I thanked for his ongoing support and solidarity with our fight for democracy and freedom. Hours before June 28, he reaffirmed his commitment to the values ​​that unite us and conveyed his admiration for the great example of civic courage that Venezuelans give to the world. Thank you very much, dear President!” Machado said there.

The day before, the candidate for the Presidency of Uruguay for the ruling National Party, Álvaro Delgado, shared a statement that he signed together with the candidates of three other political forces that make up the current Government coalition, in which they called for transparency in Venezuela’s elections.

“The conditions of next Sunday’s elections, where there are exiles, political prisoners, harassment of the opposition and the disqualification of the main opposition candidate, Maria Corina Machado, do not guarantee a democratic process,” they said.

The statement was also signed by Andrés Ojeda (Colorado Party), Guido Manini Ríos (Cabildo Abierto) and Pablo Mieres (Independent Party).

On February 1, Lacalle Pou had already spoken out about the Venezuelan elections and stressed that they would not be “free and democratic” after Machado’s disqualification.

“We are not trying to have a point of view based on whether we like a particular government or not,” the president said that day, adding that Machado’s disqualification was a sign that there was “no will” to ensure that the elections were transparent.

Caracas / EFE