In a solemn ceremony, the European Parliament presented the Sakharov Prize to the “president-elect” this Tuesday. Edmundo González Urrutia and the opposition leader Maria Corina Machado for his fight for democracy against the regime of Nicolás Maduro. González Urrutia traveled personally to Strasbourg to collect the award, while Machado was represented by her daughter and also spoke by videoconference before the plenary session from Venezuela.
“There is still room to continue the fight until we can enforce the popular will that was expressed at the polls on July 28“, said González Urrutia, who is exiled in Madrid, in a joint press conference with the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. There he has exhibited the electoral records that would prove his victory against Maduro.
“The minutes that we have in our possession are proof, a very clear manifestation of everything that happened there. That is what the Maduro regime cannot showbecause he does not have the votes to claim the presidency. We did have this.”
Metsola explained that the Sakharov Prize for González Urrutia and Machado is a recognition “of their tireless efforts to restore freedom and democracy in Venezuela and guarantee a fair, free and peaceful transition of power.”
“Mr. González Urrutia, This House supports him as a democratic leader of
Venezuela. We condemn the Maduro regime for the many brutal and cruel attempts to silence the democratic voices of millions of Venezuelans. “We condemn the issuance of an arrest warrant against the elected president and the illegal imprisonment of thousands of political prisoners in inhuman conditions,” denounced the president of the European Parliament.
The European Parliament applauds Edmundo González during the Sakharov Prize award ceremony this Tuesday in Strasbourg
The European Parliament has already recognized González Urrutia as “legitimate president” of Venezuela in a vote on September 19, considering that he was the true winner of the presidential elections held on July 28.
Parliamentarians also consider Machado like leader of the democratic forces in Venezuelagiven that she was elected in the Unitary Platform primaries in 2023 with 92.35% of the votes, but was arbitrarily disqualified by the Venezuelan regime.
The joint candidacy of María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia for the Sakharov Prize was proposed by the European People’s Partywhile the radical right group of the European Conservatives and Reformists nominated González Urrutia.
Unlike the European Parliament, The EU governments have not yet taken the step of recognizing Edmundo González Urrutia as legitimate president of Venezuela. However, the Twenty-Seven are preparing a new package of sanctions against the Nicolás Maduro regime, which is expected to be approved in the coming days as a sign of rejection of his new inauguration on January 10.
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