MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

International Contact Group reject Venezuelan election, but Argentina did not sign the statement

The signatory countries “cannot recognize the results of this electoral process as legitimate or representative of the will of the Venezuelan people.”

The International Contact Group issued a statement on Tuesday to reject the parliamentary elections organized by the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro last Sunday in Venezuela. The block indicated that the electoral process did not comply “with the conditions accepted internationally, nor with the Venezuelan laws.”

The rejection text was signed by Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, the European Union (EU), France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Panama, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay.

Argentina, meanwhile, did not sign the statement.

In this way, the Maduro regime suffers a new international ignorance after the fraudulent elections, which have already been rejected by fifty countries and international organizations.

Regarding the position of the Argentine government in refusing to condemn election fraud, many interpret that the measure responds to the fear that exists around the abundant information that the dictatorial regime possesses about the negotiations that were made during the administrations of Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Kirchner between both countries.

In these circumstances, the signatory countries “cannot recognize the results of this electoral process as legitimate or representative of the will of the Venezuelan people.” They also expressed their “continued  willingness to support efforts to foster a common understanding and response to the situation in Venezuela and the country’s return to democracy and the rule of law.”

In its statement, the Contact Group indicated that “The only sustainable solution to the Venezuelan crisis will be a political, peaceful and democratic solution, through credible, inclusive and transparent legislative and presidential elections.”

In addition, the Government of the United Kingdom expressed itself through its Foreign Minister, Dominic Raab, who indicated that the vote “was not free or fair,” for which he called on “all Venezuelan leaders” to commit to supporting “A solution” for that situation.

Last Sunday, the Venezuelan opposition reported that abstention had been higher than 80%. “The rejection of the Venezuelan people has been evident,” Guaidó said during his speech on Sunday night. However, as expected, the Chavista authorities reported other numbers, and even proclaimed a victory greater than that officially awarded in the elections, by ensuring that they obtained 72% of the votes despite the fact that the official gazette gave them 68.43 % of the votes, with 98.6% of the vote.