EU agrees not to recognise Maduro’s victory but not the opposition leader either

“We cannot accept Maduro’s legitimacy as president-elect. The Council has decided that Maduro does not have democratic legitimacy as president. He will remain as president. de facto. But we deny any democratic legitimacy. “based on a result that cannot be verified,” explained the head of community diplomacy, Josep Borrellat the end of the meeting.

However, there is no consensus in Brussels on the next steps to take to address the political crisis in the Latin American country. The leader of the opposition, Edmundo Gonzalezthat According to the EU itself,“dAccording to publicly available copies of the minutes, he would be the winner of the presidential election by a wide majority.”

[Maduro se crece en la calle ante la tibia respuesta mundial y amenaza con detener a González Urrutia]

However, There has been no consensus among the Twenty-Seven to recognize Gonzalez’s victoryas the United States has done. “Given the position of all colleagues at the moment, it is not the common position of the European Union,” admitted the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, upon his arrival at the meeting.We have to act intelligently “so as not to simply make statements that could of course be very effective for 24 hours but very ineffective,” he insisted. The precedent of the opposition leader still stings Juan Guaidówhose recognition as acting president was of no use.

There is also no agreement among the heads of community diplomacy to impose New sanctions against the Venezuelan regimeas he himself had suggested AlbaresBorrell has argued that there are already 55 Venezuelan leaders on the EU’s ‘blacklist’ and that only Maduro himself would be included. “More personal sanctions would imply going directly to the sanction of the top political leaders. There are only two or three left who are not sanctioned and that is why the Member States have thought it was better to see how events unfold,” said the High Representative.

Borrell has pointed out that the non-recognition of Maduro’s victory is an important political signal, although he admits that it will have few practical consequences. “In diplomatic life, governments are not recognized, States are recognized (…) There are many cases in the world (of Governments) that We do not recognize their democratic legitimacy But they exist and they have control of the territory,” he explained.

The foreign ministers have agreed in any case to intensify dialogue with all regional actors, especially with Brazil and Colombiain order to find a way out of the crisis in Venezuela. They have also committed to do everything possible to preserve the physical integrity and civil and political rights of members of the opposition.

“Venezuelan authorities must end repression and respect the dignity, freedom and rights of the opposition, starting with Edmundo González and Maria Corina Machado, as well as civil society and journalists,” insisted the head of diplomacy, who is calling for the release of all political prisoners.

Albares has highlighted Spain’s leading position in the debate on Venezuela. According to him, it was Edmundo González himself who asked him to speak by videoconference at the EU Foreign Affairs Council. to explain the situation first hand and he transferred it to Borrell, who accepted the request. The Minister of Foreign Affairs He has ruled out that the solution would be to repeat the elections as Brazil and Colombia have suggested, because both the Maduro regime and the opposition reject it.

In his opinion, the ultimate goal must be to promote a “dialogue between Venezuelans”: that the Government and the opposition sit together in order to reach a “negotiated”, “peaceful” and “genuinely Venezuelan” solution. “One that is not imposed from abroad, but that respects the democratic will of the Venezuelans,” stressed Albares.