MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

OAS recalls Mexico City and Barbados deals regarding Venezuelan crisis

The OAS urged the CNE in Caracas to “expeditiously publish the presidential election records”

The Organization of American States (OAS) Permanent Council passed a resolution Friday urging Venezuelan authorities, political forces, and citizenry to abide by the Memorandum of Understanding signed in Mexico City on August 13, 2021, as well as the Partial Agreement on the Promotion of Political Rights and Electoral Guarantees for All signed in Barbados on October 17, 2023, and therefore “abstain from any conduct that might jeopardize the peaceful settlement of this crisis, fully respecting the sovereign will of the electorate of Venezuela.”

The OAS also noticed with concern the various “reports of serious irregularities and violence associated with the electoral process in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, following the elections held on July 28, 2024.”

In this scenario, the continental agency insisted “with the utmost firmness that the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, the right to life, liberty, and security of person, especially the right to assemble peacefully and to the full exercise of civil and political rights without reprisal, the right to not be subject to arbitrary arrest or imprisonment, the right to a fair trial, be an absolute priority and an obligation for Venezuela, as it is for all states of the Americas.”

The OAS also requested “that the authorities of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela protect diplomatic facilities and personnel residing in Venezuelan territory, including individuals seeking asylum in such facilities, consistent with international law, and in particular the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.”

The Permanent Council also underscored the “importance of protecting and preserving all equipment used in the electoral process, including all printed election records and results, in order to safeguard the entire chain of custody of the voting process.” In this regard, the National Electoral Council [CNE] of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela was urged to “expeditiously publish the presidential election records, including the voting results at the level of each polling station,” as well as “respect the fundamental principle of popular sovereignty through an impartial verification of the results that ensures the transparency, credibility, and legitimacy of the electoral process.”