The European Parliament recognizes Edmundo González as president of Venezuela: it makes this call

The European Parliament has recognised opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia as the legitimate and democratically elected president of Venezuela in a non-binding text.

The non-binding document was approved with the support of the European People’s Party, ultra-conservatives and the far right.

The resolution, Approved by MEPs with 309 votes in favour, 201 against and 12 abstentionsalso recognizes María Corina Machado as the leader of the democratic forces in Venezuela.

However, due to a Social Democrats’ amendmentliberals and greens that was approved, the text does not go so far as to call on the European Union and its member states – who have the competence in foreign policy – to unite in the recognition to Gonzalez Urrutia.

Thank you! We Venezuelans want the same thing that Europeans have achieved: to live in freedom and democracy.

As President-elect, I thank the European Parliament for this recognition that transcends me; it is the recognition of the sovereign will of the people of Venezuela… pic.twitter.com/QIwP4kZNw4

— Edmundo Gonzalez (@EdmundoGU) September 19, 2024

It is the first occasion of the current legislature in the Eurochamber that the European People’s Party votes with the far right instead of with the bloc to its left in the hemicycle (social democrats, liberals and greens) that traditionally agrees on all decisions in the European Parliament.

European Parliament recognizes Edmundo González as president of Venezuela: makes this call

In the text, MEPs urge the European Union and its Member States to to do “as much as possible” so that González Urrutia can assume the Presidency from Venezuela on January 10, 2025.

“He respect for the will of the people Venezuelan democracy, expressed in the elections, remains the only way for Venezuela to restore democracy, allow for a peaceful and genuine transition and resolve the current humanitarian and socio-economic crisis,” says the European Parliament.

They also ask the International Criminal Court to include ongoing human rights violations and arbitrary detentions in its investigations into alleged crimes against humanity committed by the regime Nicolas Madurowho was proclaimed president-elect by the National Electoral Council of Venezuela without providing the voting records table by table as required by law.

In addition, the “immediate release and unconditional release of all political prisoners and persons arbitrarily detained.”

The Spanish government’s decision to grant González political asylum is also welcomed, as it says it will “protect him and maintain a viable perspective of resolving the political impasse.”

“If the January 10, 2025, there will be no peaceful transfer of power and the restoration of democracy, a new one will occur migratory exodusor to other countries in the region, similar to what has led nearly eight million Venezuelans to flee the country in recent years,” the MEPs warn.

Audios

In Caracas, the president of the National Assembly of Venezuela, Jorge Rodríguez, yesterday presented a series of small audio fragments in which he claims that González Urrutia is heard speaking about the situation in Venezuela after the disputed elections in July and with which he intended to show that he was not coerced by the authorities as the former diplomat claimed.

In the recordings, the voice of a man that Rodriguez identifies as Edmundo Gonzalez is heard talking about Calls for peace or to the unity of Venezuelans.

The audios, however, do not contain any explicit mention. that the former opposition candidate acknowledges his defeat in the last elections against President Maduro, as the government assured this week.

The day before yesterday, the Venezuelan authorities published a letter signed by Edmund González, in which he accepted the official results announced regarding Maduro’s victory in exchange for being able to leave the country for Spain, where he received asylum.

The opponent later clarified that was coerced into signing in order to obtain a safe-conduct pass to leave Venezuela.

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