President Macron winks at those present at the joint appearance with Lula esye Thursday at the presidential palace of Planalto, in Brasilia.Ueslei Marcelino (REUTERS)
That the Venezuelan authorities have vetoed Corina Yoris, the candidate designated by her namesake, the disqualified María Corina Machado, is “serious,” in the words of the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The leftist hits the table after months of public silence and discreet diplomatic efforts. First with a note from Foreign Affairs that expressed “concern” about the exclusion of Yoris, now in person this Thursday in Brasilia during the press appearance with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, on an official visit.
In response to questions from the press, both leaders have criticized the veto of candidate Yoris, as did Colombia, the European Union, the United States this week... which unleashed a furious response from the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro. Lula has stressed that, unlike Machado, who was disqualified by justice, her chosen one was unable to register due to an apparent computer problem, without any official explanation. The Brazilian and the French have suggested that Maduro should reconsider the exclusion. “I don't want anything better or worse for Venezuela, I want them to be elections like in Brazil, for everyone who wants to participate. "Whoever loses cries, whoever wins laughs and democracy continues," said Lula, who praised that Machado stepped aside and gave way to another person without problems from Chavismo. It is precisely what Lula recommended to him, with an offensive phrase, a few weeks ago, that he not insist on fighting to attend the elections.
Again referring to Maduro, Lula has said in an exasperated tone, with his hands folded and looking at the sky: "There is no legal or political explanation to prohibit an adversary from being a candidate,"
Maduro's closure is a challenge for the founder of the Brazilian Workers' Party. Because, as soon as he returned to power in Brasilia, Lula called a regional summit in an attempt to break the diplomatic ostracism in which Chavista Venezuela had been mired for a decade. Last month Maduro and Lula met at a Caribbean summit and the Brazilian took advantage of the occasion to insist on the need to have an electoral process with guarantees.
Macron considers that “the current framework [of candidates in Venezuela] cannot be considered democratic” and has condemned the maneuvers “of Maduro and the system” to purge the electoral lists of opponents of Chavismo. “I hope it will be possible to rebuild the framework,” he said.
The two presidents have exhibited personal harmony and respect for Venezuela while both played down their differences over the European Union-Mercosur agreement and the war in Ukraine.
When asked by the press, Lula declared that “Macron has every right to be against it. But his fight is with [his partners in] the EU, not with me, and mine is with Mercosur.” She has also stressed that this is not a bilateral negotiation but between blocs.
Regarding Ukraine, Macron has insisted that it is crucial that the EU is not seen by Russia in a position of weakness. The Brazilian president has stressed that Brazil will continue without choosing sides in a war that, furthermore, is far away. “Whoever wants to discuss peace, invite me, I will be there. But, if it is for war, don't count on me,” he proclaimed. The ceremony began with the imposition on Macron of Brazil's highest decoration for foreigners, the order of Cruceiro do Sul; and the French legion of honor to Janja da Silva, Lula's wife. The Brazilian president has had the distinction for years, Macron wanted to clarify.
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