A woman walks past graffiti depicting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas on May 8, 2024. (Photo by Juan BARRETO / AFP)
Faced with the elections in Venezuela and the White House’s strategy of simply putting pressure on them to be free, a group of senators from both parties, Democrat and Republican, are already mobilizing with the conviction that Nicolás Maduro is not going to abandon power in any way. mode. They point to increased persecution of civil society and political activists in Venezuela, citing the continued persecution of María Corina Machado, the arrest of members of her campaign, the refusal to offer safe passage to opponents sheltering in the Argentine embassy, and reports of torture of political prisoners.
DAVID ALANDETE
These North American senators have urgently called for the closure of political prisons and the release of all political prisoners, and have asked the Biden Administration to impose individual sanctions on the officials responsible for these violations. “These actions directly undermine the conditions required for a free and fair presidential election,” the lawmakers said in an official communication. “We strongly condemn this dangerous environment of intimidation, which erodes the credibility of the ongoing electoral process, leaving us with little doubt that the July 28 elections will not meet the conditions to be free, fair or democratic.”
These requests are relevant because they do not come only from the Republican Party. Republican Senators Marco Rubio, of Florida, and Bill Cassidy, of Louisiana, have been joined by Democrat Ben Cardin, of Maryland, an ally of the Biden Administration. This position represents a disapproval of the Biden team’s strategy of having tried to convince the regime to allow free elections by allowing the release of the alleged figurehead of the dictator Maduro, the Colombian businessman Alex Saab. After his delivery to Venezuela, the Chavista regime ratified Machado’s disqualification and detained other opponents.
The opposition has united around another candidate, Edmundo González. Other associates of Maduro, especially the governments of Brazil and Colombia, have urged the dictator to accept the results. Colombian President Gustavo Petro has even suggested to Maduro that a referendum be held on how the winners and losers of the elections should accept the result.
More details in ABC OF SPAIN
