MEPs: support for Venezuela’s opposition is a “moral duty”

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament.

• Expand sanctions to Nicolás Maduro and his inner circle 
• Venezuelan regime has no democratic legitimacy 
• Unjustified arrest warrant issued for Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia must be revoked 

The regime of Nicolas Maduro is illegitimate and his presidency constitutes an unlawful attempt to remain in power by force, MEPs say in a resolution adopted on Thursday.

Condemning in the strongest possible terms the usurpation of the presidency in Venezuela by Nicolas Maduro, MEPs commend the democratic opposition’s resilience and the commitment of the Venezuelan people to democracy in the face of repression.

The European Parliament, who recognised Edmundo González Urrutia as the legitimate winner of the presidential election, says the Venezuelan regime has missed a key opportunity to respect the will of the people and ensure a transparent democratic transition of power. It lacks any democratic and political legitimacy and Parliament does not recognise the presidency by Nicolás Maduro. MEPs urge the Venezuelan regime to revoke the unjustified arrest warrant issued for Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia and call on it to publish the electoral record of the elections of 28 July 2024.

Expand sanctions to Nicolás Maduro and support the democratic opposition

MEPs welcome the recent Council decision to extend targeted sanctions to 15 additional individuals, and call for these sanctions to be strengthened and expanded to include Nicolás Maduro, his inner circle, and their families. The sanctions should also include Jorge Rodríguez and Vladimir Padrino López, MEPs say, and all those responsible for human rights violations and the illegitimate assertion of authority, usurpation of official functions, and repression in Venezuela.

Expressing its full support for International Criminal Court investigations into the Venezuelan regime’s extensive crimes, MEPs urge the EU, its member states, and all democratic regional and international actors to unconditionally align, “as a moral duty”, with the democratic forces of Venezuela and to do their utmost to restore democracy in the country.

MEPs argue that, in the disjunction between democracy and dictatorship, there is no room for ambiguity or middle ground, one is either on the side of the democrats and those that suffer from repression, or on the side of the dictators.

The resolution was adopted with 374 votes in favour, 53 against and 163 abstentions.