EU concerned for future of Venezuelan democracy
Venezuela: Voters receive instructions about their voting machine place by a National Guard officer outside of a poll station
The European Union says it is concerned about the future of democracy in Venezuela after the widely-criticized vote to elect a powerful constitutional assembly.
European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said yesterday that such an assembly “elected under doubtful and often violent circumstances cannot be part of the solution.”
Andreeva said the weekend poll, held amid protests in which 10 people were killed, “has increased division and will further de-legitimize Venezuela’s democratically elected institutions.”
She said EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini is working on a “joint response” to developments from the 28-nation bloc but would not be drawn on whether that might involve sanctions.
Venezuela’s National Electoral Council says more than 8 million people voted to grant President Nicolas Maduro’s ruling socialist party virtually unlimited powers with a constitutional assembly — a turnout more than double the estimates of both the government’s political opponents and independent experts.
Council president Tibisay Lucena announced just before midnight that turnout in Sunday’s vote was 41.53 percent, or 8,089,320 people.
The count was met with mockery and anger from members of the opposition, who said they believed between 2 million and 3 million people voted. One well-respected independent analysis said 3.6 million appeared to have voted.
The electoral council’s vote counts in the past have traditionally been seen as reliable and generally accurate, but Sunday’s announcement appeared certain to escalate the polarization and political conflict paralyzing the country.
The U.S. State Department is officially condemning Venezuela government for holding a vote to elect a powerful National Constituent Assembly, calling it a step toward authoritarian rule.
The new assembly would concentrate near-total power in the hands of socialist President Maduro and his supporters. In a statement released yesterday [Macau time], the State Department says the new body seems designed to “undermine the Venezuelan people’s right to self-determination.”
The U.S. had already joined Argentina, Peru, Colombia and Panama in saying it would not recognize the vote results. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley tweeted that earlier that the vote was a “sham election” which takes Venezuela “another step toward dictatorship.”
The State Department says Washington will “continue to take strong and swift actions against the architects of authoritarianism in Venezuela.” MDT/AP
