The European Parliament will not recognize the result of the Venezuelan presidential elections if Nicolas Maduro's government does not allow the main opposition candidate, María Corina Machado, to participate in the consultations.
The position of the European Union countries is contained in a resolution approved with 446 votes in favour, 21 against and 32 abstentions, in which MEPs underline that the decision of the Supreme Court of Venezuela (TSJ) to disqualify Machado has no legal basis.
The text also condemns attempts to prevent other opposition politicians, such as Henrique Capriles, from holding public office and stigmatizes attacks against the Venezuelan opposition including forced disappearances and arbitrary detentions of politicians, civil society representatives, rights defenders humans and journalists.
MEPs recognize that the government does not respect the agreement signed last year in Barbados by Maduro and the opposition, in which the president committed to allowing free and transparent presidential elections to be held in 2024. In this context, MEPs urged EU Member States to tighten existing sanctions against the Maduro regime until it demonstrates a clear and permanent commitment to upholding fundamental democratic norms, the rule of law and human rights.
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