MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Prominent Venezuelan politician warns EU's mission: The will of the people must be respected

Cabello brought up the case of last Sunday's elections in Nicaragua. “The EU has never been our friend,” he also pointed out

Venezuelan prominent political leader, Chavismo's number two, Diosdado Cabello, lashed out on Tuesday against the European Union's electoral mission that is in the country to supervise the upcoming legislative and regional elections.

“Go to hell with your opinions,” said Cabello, who is the first vice president of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (Psuv).

Cabello Tuesday accused the Electoral Observation Mission of the European Union of being “spies” and of having their report already written with the will to discredit the Nov. 21 elections.

“Go to hell with your opinions,” Cabello said. “Here in Venezuela who puts president, governors and mayors is the people of Venezuela. We are warning in time...” he went on.

“Be careful: The EU has never been our friend,” Cabello insisted during a campaign event in Monagas which was broadcast on state television.

Cabello said the European observers “already have their report ready, and the sectors of the opposition and imperialism already know what they are going to say.”

“They are going to say that the Bolivarian revolution won in Monagas and in Venezuela, but there are reasonable doubts,” Cabello added.

Cabello, regarded by many as the Number Two of Chavism, insisted: “Clarify your doubts, EU, and learn to respect the people who are sheltering you today.”

The PSUV leader said Nicaragua was an example of what to expect. “There is Daniel Ortega, he won an election with 75% of the votes, the EU says that it is not a real election with 50% of the electoral roll, it is not real.”

He also called his party followers to double down on the efforts to win “overwhelmingly..., overwhelmingly.”

EU mission head Isabel Santos had announced her team would have preliminary report ready by Nov. 23, while the final conclusions will be delivered to Caracas by February, 2022.

On October 28, Europe has deployed 44 long-term observers in 22 of the 23 states of the country, who are to be joined by 34 short-term observers and 12 members of the European Parliament in addition to an “undetermined number of short-term European observers recruited in Venezuela” to reinforce operations on voting day.

This is the first time in 15 years that Europe has sent a technical team to evaluate elections, after the 2020 parliamentary elections and the 2018 presidential elections, where President Nicolás Maduro was re-elected.

This year's elections will be attended, for the first time since 2017, by the bulk of the opposition, including the sector led by Juan Guaidó, recognized as president in charge by more than 50 countries, after requesting abstention in the 2018 presidential elections, and the 2020 Parliamentarians, in which Chavismo obtained the majority.

More than 21 million Venezuelans are registered to vote Nov. 21 to elect 23 governors, 335 mayors, 253 legislators to the Legislative Councils and 2,471 councilors.