The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven denounced on Friday what they described as a lack of democratic legitimacy in the inauguration of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
“We reject the way Maduro clings to power at the expense of the Venezuelan people,” said a statement issued by Canada, which chairs the G7 this year. “We also strongly condemn the ongoing repression against civil society and members of the opposition in Venezuela, including opposition leader María Corina Machado.”
“We share the alarm expressed by Venezuelans and the international community at Maduro’s persistent disregard for the principles of democratic governance, the rule of law and human rights,” the statement said.
Maduro swore on Friday on behalf of his mentor Hugo Chávez for his third term before the Venezuelan National Assembly, promising peace and prosperity as well as a “new democracy.”
After the investiture, international reactions once again questioned the legitimacy of the 2024 elections, in which Maduro was proclaimed the winner without presenting evidence, while his rival, the opponent Edmundo Gonzálezshowed internationally endorsed evidence that he had won by a large advantage.
“We are deeply concerned about the arbitrary detentions and other abuses of civilians, including children, young people and activists, following the peaceful protests that occurred after the elections and continue to this day,” adds the letter from Canada’s ministers. , Germany, Japan, Great Britain, the United States and the European Union.
Also in response, the United States, the European Union, Canada and the United Kingdom established new sanctions for what the opposition later described as a “coup d’état.”
Reactions in Latin America
Although the presence of any Latin American leader had not been confirmed in advance, Maduro was accompanied at his inauguration by the president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, as well as his Nicaraguan counterpart, Daniel Ortega.
Maduro thanked the presence of 120 delegations from countries without referring to the ranks of the attendees and detailing that a representative from Russia and China attended.
After the inauguration, the European Union considered in an official statement that, without the voting records to support his alleged victory, Maduro “lacks the legitimacy” of a democratically elected president. In his opinion, the Venezuelan authorities lost the opportunity to respect the “will of the people” and guarantee a democratic transition.
Also Peru ratified again in a statement that it does not recognize Maduro as president, while Chile considered that it was an investiture “devoid of all democratic legitimacy.”
In Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum stayed away from criticism, outlining her country’s traditional stance of “non-interference,” but referred to political persecution in Venezuela.
“This is our opinion and we do it in Mexico, we do not persecute anyone for their ideas or opinions (…) We do not agree with that, there has to be freedom,” he said in response to a question about Venezuela.
However, he confirmed the presence of the Mexican ambassador in Caracas as a representative of his government at Maduro’s inauguration.
Ecuador condemned, through a statement from his Foreign Ministrythat “the disrespect of the popular will that has been perpetrated by the Maduro regime who has taken possession of a position that has been arbitrarily taken from the Venezuelan people, who voted overwhelmingly for Edmundo González, who is the true and legitimate President.”
While the government of Paraguay issued a statementor ratifying his support for Edmundo González and “absolutely condemning the actions of the illegitimate regime of Nicolás Maduro.”
The president of Bolivia, Luis Alberto Arce did congratulate Maduro and wished him success. “History unites us in Bolivia and Venezuela,” he stated on his social networks.
[Con información de AP y Reuters]
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