Opponents of the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, praised the toughening of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s (PT) stance regarding the country’s elections. The PT member said he was “grave” the impediment to Corina Yoris’ candidacy for the presidential election, which should be held in 2024.
According to former vice-president of the National Assembly of Venezuela Angel Medina, Lula will need to join other heads of the Executive in Latin America to have real effects in the elections. “The presidents of the region need to act together to allow Venezuela to have a minimally competitive election”he told the newspaper The globe.
“Actors like Lula and [Gustavo] Petro [presidente da Colômbia], left-wing presidents, put pressure on Maduro. Now, I have my doubts whether he will give in. I believe there needs to be action from the entire region. Not just Lula, but Lula with López Obrador [presidente do México], Gabriel Boric [presidente do Chile], with the president of Argentina [Javier Milei]“he stated.
Medina, whose mandate was revoked by Maduro’s allies, says he hopes to see Lula go beyond words.
“We hope that Lula, like the other presidents, will not just remain in statements, but will contribute with diplomatic mechanisms so that Venezuela can hold its elections”these.
Alfonso Marquinha, leader of the opposition party Primero Justicia, said that it is no longer the time to “criticism”but of “celebration” to the fact that Lula began to repudiate decisions made by the Maduro government.
“Lula and other left-wing presidents have maintained a stance of support and solidarity with Nicolas Maduro, which does not correspond to his actions. But it is not a moment of criticism but of celebration that Lula, at this moment, is making a correction about Maduro’s conduct and the institutions in Venezuela”declared Marquinha.
THE PROHIBITION
On Thursday (March 28, 2024), Lula classified as “grave” the decision to veto Yoris, a candidate opposing Maduro, from elections in the country.
“I was surprised by the decision. First, the good decision of the candidate banned from being a candidate by the Court to nominate a successor, I thought was an important step. Now, it is serious that the candidate could not have been registered”said Lula, who also praised the fact that the 1st opposition candidate had nominated another name to succeed her.
Yoris was unable to access the platform provided by the Venezuelan government to register his ticket. According to the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the impediment constitutes a violation of the Barbados agreement, in which Venezuela guaranteed free elections in exchange for the end of sanctions on local oil.
On Tuesday (26 March), Venezuela’s main opposition coalition, the PUD (Democratic Unitary Platform), managed to register Edmundo González as a provisional candidate.
Before Corina Yoris, former deputy María Corina Machado had also had her candidacy registration denied. She won the opposition’s internal dispute. Machado was the one who nominated Yoris as her replacement.
Source: https://www.poder360.com.br/internacional/opositores-a-maduro-elogiam-fala-de-lula-sobre-eleicoes-na-venezuela/
