- Regional leaders have been in contact to reach an agreement between the government and the opposition | Main photo: composition The Diary
Almost three weeks before the July 28 presidential elections in Venezuela, the National Electoral Council (CNE) has still not published the results of the election and maintains that Nicolás Maduro won with 51.20%, equivalent to 5,150,092 million votes, while Edmundo González obtained 4,445,978 million votes, for a total of 42.2%.
However, the lack of transparency in data verification has created a political crisis involving political actors from the government, the opposition and the international community.
Hours after the CNE announced Maduro’s victory, opposition leader María Corina Machado said that the winner was Edmundo González Urrutia, with more than 61% of the votes. During her speech on July 29, Machado urged members of civil society, international organizations and diplomats to check the results issued by the voting machines on the website Venezuelan presidential election results 2024.
Both versions have put Venezuela at a turning point in its political history, as the country’s current crisis has been a topic of discussion for both the international allies of the ruling party and the opposition. For their part, Colombia, Brazil and Mexico, countries governed by left-wing politicians, have served as mediators in the current situation in Venezuela, however, the narrative of the three leaders of those countries (Gustavo Petro, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Andrés Manuel López Obrador) does not seem to have contributed to the conclusion of the negotiation.
One of the proposals of one of the members of the international bloc is to repeat the presidential elections in Venezuela for the last quarter of 2024, but it is unknown whether this proposal has been formally made to the government of Nicolás Maduro and María Corina Machado.
Given the various statements by Petro, Lula and López Obrador on the Venezuelan crisis, the team of The Diary He compiled a list of the positions and proposals presented by each of the regional leaders:
Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia
The first statement on the elections in Venezuela by the Colombian government was not made by the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro; instead, it was made by the Colombian Foreign Ministry on July 29. In the statement, the Colombian government called for “rejecting violence” and “preserving peace” after hundreds of people went out to protest in Venezuela against the results announced by the CNE.
In a post on his X account (formerly Twitter) on July 29, Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo highlighted the importance of “clearing up doubts” about the results. In the same document, he also urged international observers and monitors to present their conclusions on the process.
On July 31, three days later, Petro joined the demand for the results to be presented to the CNE. By this time, his Brazilian counterpart Lula Da Silva had already requested the counting of the votes, while countries such as Peru recognized González Urrutia as the president-elect of Venezuela after having investigated the data published on the opposition’s website.
“We demand that the Venezuelan government allow a transparent vote count and tallying of votes with international and professional observation,” said Gustavo Petro. In the same message, the Colombian president urged Maduro to “accept” the transparent result “whatever it may be” to allow a peaceful transition.
On August 1, the governments of Colombia, Brazil and Mexico issued a joint statement to express their solidarity with the Venezuelan population after they turned out en masse to vote.
On August 1, Petro endorsed a “political agreement” between Maduro and the opposition, with the aim of avoiding a new exodus and described it as a “war” in Latin America. He also considered that the US position is not clear regarding the situation in Venezuela.
Gustavo Petro’s solution
The Colombian president suggested on August 15 that a new government be created in Venezuela “national front” like the one that occurred in Colombia in the 20th century, when liberals and conservatives took turns in power as a “transitory” step towards a “definitive solution” to the crisis.
“A political solution for Venezuela that brings peace and prosperity to its people depends on Nicolás Maduro. The experience of the Colombian National Front is an experience that, if used temporarily, can help achieve a definitive solution,” Petro said in a message on his X account.
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National Front
The National Front was a political pact between the Liberal and Conservative parties that was in force between 1958 and 1974, and which served to oust General Gustavo Rojas from power, who wanted to remain as head of state in perpetuity.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil
Following the CNE’s announcement in the early hours of July 29, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva urged Venezuelan electoral authorities to publish the minutes of the election.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva’s adviser Celso Amorim said on Monday, July 29, that his government would adopt a cautious stance regarding the presidential election results in Venezuela and claimed that, for now, it would not support a narrative of “fraud.”
Amorim, who was sent to Venezuela to monitor the development of the electoral process, said that the situation is complex because, in his opinion, the CNE did not offer details of the minutes of the scrutiny, so he assured that it is necessary to verify all electoral registers.
A day after his envoy’s statements, Lula da Silva joined the list of countries that demanded that the Electoral Power publish the minutes of the presidential elections and considered it “normal” that the opposition is unhappy with the victory attributed to Nicolás Maduro.
On August 5, when talks between Brazil, Colombia and Mexico and the United States were confirmed, Lula da Silva insisted that popular sovereignty be respected and asked the government and the opposition for “understanding.”
“Respect for popular sovereignty is what drives us to defend transparency and results. Commitment to peace is what leads us to promote understanding between the government and the opposition,” the Brazilian president posted on his X account.
Lula da Silva’s Solution
To help resolve the political conflict in Venezuela, The Brazilian president proposed two options on Thursday, August 15: the formation of a coalition government or the holding of new elections.
“They have to present the data, something reliable, the CNE could do it, but Maduro has gone to the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) and I cannot judge the justice of another country,” Lula added during the radio interview in Brazil.
This proposal is similar to that put forward by Gustavo Petro, since both sides agree on the formation of a coalition government that includes members of the ruling party and the opposition.
“Maduro knows that he owes an explanation to Brazilian society and to the world, he knows that,” said the Brazilian president regarding the refusal to release the election results.
Lula also acknowledged that relations with Maduro have deteriorated as a result of the post-election crisis, and even before, when he insisted to the Venezuelan president that the best way to get sanctions against Venezuela lifted was to “act with transparency after the results.”
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, President of Mexico
In parallel to his Brazilian counterpart, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador expressed his concern on July 30 over the political crisis in Venezuela.
In his opinion, it is necessary for the CNE to support with data the proclamation of Maduro as the winner of the elections, however, he urged the various organizations not to “disqualify” the announcement of the Electoral Power.
“These results need to be made known, and not just the general figure, but progress needs to be made in the calculation, which is what we are proposing, and not to disqualify in one sense or another,” he said.
Despite these statements, López Obrador said the same day that he still does not recognize Maduro’s victory because the opposition leadership published at least 70% of the minutes that declare González Urrutia the winner as president of Venezuela for the period 2025-2031.
The week of August 8th, López Obrador offered more support from his government if Venezuela’s post-election crisis continues following the proclaimed re-election of Nicolás Maduro, although he asked that there be no “interventionism” or “imposition” from abroad.
“Yes (Mexico’s role will continue), as long as it is seen that there is will, that there is a democratic, authentic vocation, that there is no interventionism or desire for imposition or ideological burden, but rather that the will of the Venezuelans is respected, what they decided,” said the president in response to a direct question at his morning press conference.
The Mexican president recalled that his position has been “the peaceful resolution of controversies” after several calls with his counterparts from Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and from Colombia, Gustavo Petro.
Lopez Obrador’s solution
On August 13th announced that it will not continue in the negotiation actions on the political crisis in Venezuela until the TSJ issues a ruling on the results of July 28.
Two days after these statements, on August 15, López Obrador expressed his disagreement with the proposal of his Brazilian counterpart, who suggested repeating the presidential elections.
“We will see what the TSJ decides. I do not believe that it would be prudent for us from outside, a foreign government, whoever it may be, to give our opinion on something that should be resolved by the Venezuelans,” declared the president in his morning press conference.
The Mexican president insisted on waiting to hear the decision of Venezuelan institutions on the issue in order to maintain “prudence” and avoid interference.
Opposition’s position on repeat elections
The leader María Corina Machado has repeatedly stated that a repeat of the presidential elections in Venezuela is not contemplated.
The leader of Vente Venezuela insisted that the results are already defined and believes that holding a new election has no basis.
“I don’t understand where this thesis, this initiative, comes from. I believe that the elections have already taken place in Venezuela and the results are there, the victory is there. So, ignoring what happened, I think that has no basis and I think that Venezuelan society would not support it. What must be done is to make the results count,” said Machado in an interview with several media outlets on August 7.
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2024-08-16 15:57:51
