Brasilia, Jul 22 (EFE).- Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva confessed on Monday that was “scared” when his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolás Maduro, said that if he loses Sunday’s elections in his country, there will be “a bloodbath.”
“I was scared by that statement,” Lula said in an interview with foreign correspondents, in which he revealed that he had spoken twice with Maduro to warn him that “if he wants to contribute to solving Venezuela’s growth problem and the return of those who left, he has to respect the democratic process.”
Lula added that, In a democracy, “the loser gets a bath of votes, not a bath of blood”and “Maduro has to learn that when you win, you stay, and when you lose, you leave and prepare for another election.”
According to the Brazilian president, Sunday’s elections will be “the only opportunity” for Venezuela to “return to normality” and for the country to reintegrate into the regional and international community.
“That is what I wish for Venezuela and for all of South America,” he added.
He also said that, in addition to the two observers that the Brazilian electoral court will send, he has decided that his former foreign minister and current advisor on International Affairs, Celso Amorim, will also travel to Venezuela, and will be present at the elections on Sunday.
Lula has always advocated for elections that are in line with the Barbados Accords, with full participation of the opposition and with results recognized by all.
He also defended the large presence of international observers and expressed his “concern” about the veto of opposition candidate María Corina Machado, who was later replaced as a candidate by former diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia, who polls place as the favorite for Sunday’s elections.
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2024-07-22 16:49:07
