Venezuela: Maduro’s forced third term in office spurs on the world’s autocracies

The Renew Europe Group in the European Parliament calls on the international community to accept the democratic will of the Venezuelan people and recognise Edmundo González Urrutia as the legitimate and democratically elected President of Venezuela, as evidenced by the publicly available copies of electoral records.

The illegitimate regime led by Nicolás Maduro must immediately and unconditionally release all arbitrarily detained people, including foreign and EU nationals, to cease repression and attacks on civil society and the opposition, and to end systematic pattern of human rights violations.

While welcoming the new package of targeted sanctions by the European Union, our political group calls on the VP/HR, Kaja Kallas, and the Council to consider further extending their scope, to include high-level regime officials and members of the security forces responsible for serious human rights violations in Venezuela.

Speaking during today’s plenary debate on a resolution on the situation in Venezuela following the usurpation of the presidency on the 10th of January, Renew Europe MEP, Oihane Agirregoitia Martínez (PNV, Spain), said:

“Nicolas Maduro lacks democratic legitimacy and we will repeat it from this European Parliament as many times as necessary. On 28 July 2024 there was a winner in the Venezuelan presidential elections who is, according to the records compiled by the opposition, Edmundo González Urrutia, and he must be considered the legitimate president of the country. So we call on the International community to accept the will of the Venezuelan people and recognise him as the legitimate and democratically elected president and on the International Criminal Court to investigate all alleged crimes against humanity committed Maduro’s regime.”