EU says Maduro’s inauguration ‘lacks legitimacy’, announces new sanctions

Eduardo González The European Union warned this Friday, after taking office in Venezuela, that “Nicolás Maduro lacks the legitimacy of a democratically elected president” and announced the adoption of “a new package of sanctions directed against fifteen people responsible for undermining democracy, the rule of law or human rights in Venezuela, in order to support a negotiated and democratic solution to the crisis”. Nicolás Maduro has already taken office at the headquarters of the National Assembly. The Spanish Government did not send any kind of representation to the investiture, considering that it cannot give “legitimacy to supposed results that were not verifiable and that institutions that had been official observers, such as the Carter Foundation or the United Nations itself, openly questioned”, explained the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares. This position was supported by the rest of the EU States. “The European Union stands in solidarity with the Venezuelan people, who voted peacefully on 28 July 2024 to determine the future of their country”, declared this Friday the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy of the EU, Kaja Kallas, after the investiture ceremony. The statement has also been released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has highlighted, in statements to The Diplomat, the “leading role” played by Spain within the EU. “Millions of Venezuelans voted in favour of democratic change by overwhelmingly supporting Edmundo González Urrutia, according to copies of the electoral records available to the public,” she continued. “Since the authorities have refused to publish the official records of the polling stations, the announced results have not yet been verified and cannot be considered representative of the will of the people,” she denounced. “The Venezuelan authorities have missed a decisive opportunity to respect the will of the people and ensure a transparent democratic transition with guarantees for all,” Kallas lamented. “Consequently, Nicolás Maduro lacks the legitimacy of a democratically elected president,” she warned. Since the day of the elections, according to the EU, “the Venezuelan authorities have intensified repression and harassment against the opposition and civil society and their families, imprisoning dissident voices and forcing their own citizens to live in fear or go into exile.” According to Kaja Kallas, “over 2,500 citizens, including minors, have been arrested during this period and, although the EU notes the release of some of them, none of these people should have been deprived of their liberty for even a single day.” For all these reasons, “the EU urges the Venezuelan authorities to put an end to all unjust and arbitrary detentions, including those of foreign citizens and dual nationals, and to unconditionally release all political prisoners.” According to the High Representative, “Venezuela must comply with its obligations under international law, such as the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic Relations and Consular Relations.” For this reason, she continued, “we urge the authorities to guarantee full respect for human rights, including the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.” “The EU welcomes the return to Caracas of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) as a step in the right direction. We urge Venezuela to collaborate constructively and effectively with a fully-fledged OHCHR, as well as with the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela, the International Criminal Court and relevant regional mechanisms,” said the head of European diplomacy. New sanctions “In light of this situation,” Kallas announced, “the Council has decided to adopt a new package of sanctions targeting fifteen individuals responsible for undermining democracy, the rule of law or human rights in Venezuela, in order to support a negotiated and democratic solution to the crisis.” Specifically, the Council has specified that these individuals are members of the National Electoral Council of Venezuela (CNE), the judiciary and the security forces. This decision brings to 69 the total number of people subject to sanctions, which include the freezing of assets and the prohibition of providing funds or economic resources both directly and indirectly to the individuals included in the list. In addition, they are subject to travel bans in the European Union. “The EU has not taken any measures that could harm the people or the economy of Venezuela. The responsibility for ending the crisis in Venezuela lies with its authorities. The revocation of EU sanctions will be subject to tangible progress in the area of human rights and the rule of law in Venezuela, and important steps towards genuine dialogue and a democratic transition,” Kaja Kallas warned. She also continued, “in 2025, the European Union will continue to address the urgent needs of the Venezuelan population, which is suffering the consequences of the prolonged humanitarian crisis.” “Last year alone, the EU allocated almost 75 million euros to alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable population.” “The European Union stands by all those who defend democratic values in Venezuela, including human rights defenders. The EU will continue to work with the entire Venezuelan population, as well as with regional and international partners, to foster dialogue and a democratic solution to the crisis, under Venezuelan leadership, that will restore political stability, economic growth and social well-being for the millions of Venezuelans facing critical needs. The EU will continue targeted contacts with institutions and with political and civil society actors in order to address concerns and facilitate a constructive dialogue on human rights and the transition to democracy,” the statement concluded. "The coup has been consummated" Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner of Venezuela's July 28 presidential election over opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia amid alleged irregularities. The electoral records published by the opposition give González Urrutia the victory in the election, but the National Electoral Council (CNE) officially proclaimed Maduro's victory. “With the usurpation of power by Nicolás Maduro of the Presidency of the Republic, supported by brute force and ignoring the popular sovereignty forcefully expressed on July 28, a coup d’état against the rights of the Venezuelan people has been consummated,” declared this Friday the opposition Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) in a statement published on the social network X. According to this majority opposition coalition, “a new stage in this fight for the freedom of Venezuela throughout the national territory and in all sectors that make up the nation” has begun. Maduro has finally taken office and Edmundo González Urrutia has not been able to fulfill his attempt to enter Caracas to assume the Presidency. Former Mexican President Felipe Calderón, one of nine former Latin American presidents who have accompanied him on his tour of several countries in the Americas to gather international support, admitted on Friday that it is “difficult” for González to return to his country because of the growing repression in Venezuela, while another of the former presidents, former Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla, has concluded the “mission” of accompaniment. On September 8, Edmundo González Urrutia fled his country after an arrest warrant was issued against him and was transferred from Caracas by a Spanish Air Force plane to Madrid, where he requested political asylum, which was granted in mid-December. In Spain, the two chambers of the Spanish Parliament, the Congress and the Senate, approved in September, on the initiative of the PP and with the vote against the PSOE, two non-legislative proposals in which the Government was urged to recognize González Urrutia as “president-elect” of Venezuela. To date, the Spanish government has insisted on demanding the publication of the minutes as a condition for recognising the election results and has chosen (like most of the 27 EU states and the Ibero-American community) not to recognise González as “president-elect” for the time being.

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