By Deutsche Welle
Aug 15, 2024, 8:31 PM EDT
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said the proposal by the presidents of Brazil and Colombia to repeat the presidential elections in Venezuela, after the controversial elections in which Nicolas Maduro was re-elected, was “disrespectful” to Venezuelans.
“To suggest ignoring what happened on July 28 is, for me, a lack of respect for Venezuelans who have given everything; popular sovereignty must be respected,” Machado said in a virtual conference with Argentine and Chilean media.
“The elections took place and Venezuelan society expressed itself in very adverse conditions, where there was fraud and yet we still managed to win,” he added.
Brazil proposes new elections
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has suggested that Maduro could call new elections to clear up doubts about the results that re-elected him for a third six-year term.
His Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, agreed moments later, although in the latter case he set some conditions, such as the presence of international observers at the new votes.
Machado insisted that “the voice of the people must be respected, sovereignty must be respected,” and asked: “Would you accept that another election be called in your respective countries?”
“There will be a second election, and if he doesn’t like the results, will there be a third, fourth, fifth election, until Maduro likes the results?” Machado asked.
“Yes, I do,” Biden
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden made a brief appearance before boarding the Marine One presidential helicopter.
At that time, he was asked by a journalist if he supported the call for new elections in Venezuela, and he simply replied: “Yes, I do,” without offering further details. Shortly afterwards, the White House explained that the president “was referring to the absurdity of (President Nicolás) Maduro and his representatives not having been honest about the elections of July 28.”
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, for his part, said he does not consider it “prudent” to call for new elections now.
“We will mobilize all over the world”
Meanwhile, the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), the largest opposition alliance in Venezuela, called for a worldwide protest on Saturday, August 17 in more than 100 cities, in defense of “the truth,” in allusion to the “victory” obtained by Edmundo González Urrutia in the elections of July 28, against President Nicolás Maduro, who was declared the winner by the electoral body.
“We are mobilizing all over the world. Print your document and carry it with your flag,” reads one of the digital flyers distributed by the anti-Chavez bloc, which added that “where there is a Venezuelan, there is a voice for freedom.”
Continue reading:
- Biden is confused and says he supports new elections in Venezuela
- Venezuelan opposition hopes Spain will hurry up and recognize Gonzalez as president
- Maria Corina Machado: Edmundo Gonzalez will be sworn in as president in January 2025