Venezuelan government prevented former presidents from traveling from Panama for presidential elections

• On the flight were Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, Marta Lucia Ramirez, Vicente Fox, Miguel Angel Rodriguez and Mireya Moscoso | Photo: @tutoquiroga

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino announced on Friday, July 26, that the plane carrying five former Latin American presidents was prevented from taking off to Venezuela to participate as electoral observers in the July 28 elections.

“A Copa (Airlines) plane carrying (former) president (Mireya) Moscoso and other former presidents to Venezuela has not been allowed to take off from Tocumen while they remain on board, due to the blockade of Venezuelan airspace. Likewise, another Copa flight to Panama from Caracas has not been allowed to take off,” the Panamanian head of state reported on his official X account.

The former presidents who were on the plane are Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga (Bolivia), Marta Lucía Ramírez (Colombia), Vicente Fox (Mexico), Miguel Ángel Rodríguez (Costa Rica) and Mireya Moscoso (Panama), who are part of the Freedom and Democracy Group.

“(They are) stopped here in Caracas, but there are already four Copa (airline) planes that are also stopped, and they say that they will not release them and will not let them fly if the five former presidents do not get off,” said former president Fox in a video recorded from inside a plane and shared on his social networks.

https://x.com/IdaniaChirinos/status/1816895451502903320?t=cDeGMk64DQvoWZhkY6y9Qg&s=19

Panama summoned a representative from Venezuela

Following what happened with the former Latin American presidents, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Panama summoned the representative of the diplomatic mission of Venezuela, Jhannett Madriz Sotillo.

“The Foreign Ministry has summoned the representative of the Diplomatic Mission of Venezuela in Panama to the Bolívar Palace (the headquarters of the ministry),” stated the Panamanian Foreign Minister, Javier Martínez-Acha, in his X account.

Later, in a new publication and after the former presidents had already left the plane, Martínez-Acha reported that the Venezuelan Minister of Transportation, Ramón Celestino Velásquez, informed them that from that moment on there would be “no impediments” to the flights.

“The Panamanian Foreign Ministry has been informed that the Venezuelan Minister of Transport has assured that from now on there will be no impediment to Copa flights in both directions. We are analyzing this incident very carefully,” wrote the Panamanian minister.

The decision

Venezuela’s decision to prevent some of them from leaving Panama comes after the Freedom and Democracy Group said on July 24 that any attempt at fraud in Venezuela’s presidential elections must be sanctioned by the international community.

“Any attempt at fraud must be punished with the maximum sanctions, and effective international prosecution must be carried out against Nicolás Maduro and his closest circle,” said Libertad y Democracia.

They also expressed confidence that Venezuela will embark on a new “path to democracy” that will lead to a political, economic and social “rebirth” after years of the region’s worst migration crisis.

“Given the reality that Venezuela faces today, there are only two possible scenarios on July 28: the resounding triumph of democratic effervescence or the abusive theft of the elections by the dictatorial regime of Nicolás Maduro,” warned the Liberty and Democracy Group.

The reactions of former presidents

Several videos were circulated on social media in which the former presidents can be seen talking to citizens who were on the same flight.

“We have just been informed that we must get off the plane, because this flight cannot take off unless we get off. We were going there to support you, it hurts our souls, but from here our hearts will be with you,” said Moscoso, former president of Panama.

Photo: @radiopanama

Venezuelans present at the event also sang the national anthem in support of the political leaders.

“Despite the sadness of not being able to fulfill our purpose of arriving in Caracas today, we decided to get off responsibly so as not to affect the crew of three flights, or the airline. This clearly shows that the dictatorship only wants to surround itself with its cronies for July 28 (…). We do not have authorization to land in Caracas,” wrote Ramíez, former president of Colombia, on his social networks.

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