US condemns Venezuela move to exclude EU election observers

The United States on Thursday (30 May) condemned a decision by Venezuela to revoke an invitation for the EU to observe its July presidential election, calling on Caracas to reconsider the move.

“The United States is deeply concerned by the decision by (President) Nicolas Maduro and his representatives to withdraw an invitation to European Union election observers,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

“This action runs counter to the commitments made in Barbados in October 2023 to support the integrity of the electoral process,” Miller added, citing the deal to hold a free and fair vote with international observers present.

He said that Maduro and his representatives should “immediately reverse this decision and allow credible international election observation that will build trust in the electoral process”.

“We will continue to work with the international community to support the aspirations of the Venezuelan people for a more democratic, stable, and prosperous Venezuela,” he added.

Venezuela has revoked its invitation to the European Union to send election observers for a presidential contest in July, Elvis Amoroso, the head of the National Electoral Council (CNE), said on Tuesday.

Earlier this month the EU temporarily removed individual sanctions on Amoroso, a move which he rejected, saying all sanctions on Venezuela should be lifted.

Shortly afterward, the government-controlled legislature approved a measure to ask the CNE to revoke the invitation for EU electoral observers.

“They are not worthy people to come to this country … while they maintain sanctions,” Amoroso said while reading a statement on state television.

EU sanctions are colonialist and “coercive, unilateral and genocidal,” Amoroso said in the statement.

The EU office in Caracas said in a statement later on Tuesday it “deeply regrets” the CNE’s decision and called for the body to reconsider it, saying elections should take place transparently and supported by international observation.

The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), a panel of experts from the United Nations, the African Union and the Carter Center, among others, will attend as observers, Amoroso added.

The July vote is the first time in a decade the opposition, which boycotted the 2018 election, is participating in a presidential contest.

President Nicolás Maduro of the Socialist ruling party is seeking his third term, while former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez has thrown his hat in the ring on behalf of a major opposition coalition.

Maduro’s government reached a deal with the opposition last year to hold elections, prompting the United States to temporarily ease oil sanctions.

Washington then re-imposed sanctions on the oil industry in April, saying the government had not done enough to make the electoral process fair.

The opposition has heavily criticized the government’s handling of the election, especially after the winner of its primary, Maria Corina Machado, had a public office ban upheld by the country’s top court, forcing the selection of Gonzalez as a replacement.

A recent survey showed 50% of voters backing Gonzalez, with 32% favoring Maduro. The poll had a margin of error of 3.16%.

(Edited by Georgi Gotev)

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