MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Machado thanks Italian FM for endorsing PUD's alleged win

Italy's leadership is crucial to accompany the transition to democracy in Venezuela, Machado highlighted

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado thanked Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani for supporting an orderly transition from the Bolivarian regime, which intends to cling to power through a fraudulent vote count after the July 28 elections.

 Machado posted on X that Tajani “has been a historical ally” of the United Democratic Platform (PUD) who could play a “decisive role” in achieving a government change in January when the incumbent Nicolás Maduro's term ends.

“Italy's leadership in Europe and also in the world through the G7 is crucial to accompany the transition to democracy in Venezuela,” Machado highlighted. She also underscored the recent meeting in Rome between Tajani and PUD presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, whom many countries worldwide regard as the winner of the July 28 polls given that the pro-Chavist National Electoral Council (CNE) failed to produce the minutes for each voting desk.

On the other hand, the PUD managed to publish around 83% of them, granting González Urrutia an unsurmountable victory even if Maduro got 100% of the votes in the remaining 17%. González Urrutia went into exile in Spain on Sept. 8 after an arrest warrant was issued against him by the Chavist Judiciary.

“As the Italian Chancellor has demanded, Europe must recognize Edmundo Gonzalez as the elected president of Venezuela in respect to the popular sovereignty,” the PUD insisted. In addition, Tajani reiterated Italy's condemnation of “human rights violations, arbitrary arrests, and political repression” in the South American country. “In Venezuela, there is an attempt to suffocate freedom,” Tajani also pointed out this week while condemning the arrest warrant against the retired career diplomat.

Tajani also insisted on Italy's commitment as the country holding the G7 rotating presidency to seek ways “to facilitate a democratic and peaceful transition that corresponds to the will of the Venezuelan people.”