Today, the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament welcomed the calling of parliamentary elections in Venezuela, scheduled for December 6th. The organisation of elections was one of the main demands of the opposition and one of the grounds for the hunger strike undertaken for weeks by political prisoners and activists. One of them is the opposition leader Leopoldo López.
MEP Francisco Assis, chair of the European Parliament Delegation for Mercosur countries, said:
“Only the free vote of citizens can alleviate the political unrest in the country and the worrying polarisation felt in the Venezuela society.
“The calling of elections opens a window for some optimism towards stabilising the political situation in Venezuela, and it is an essential precondition to tackle the social and financial collapse of a country that is being consumed by inflation.”
MEP Ramón Jáuregui, who is co-chair of the parliamentary assembly EU-Latin America, added:
“Holding elections is the first precondition so that no one doubts democracy in Venezuela. The second one is that elections must be held with all guarantees. In that sense, Venezuela would be right to accept all international observers who want to be present. If UNASUR channels the international observers coming from the Organisation of American States (OAS) and those from the EU, the democratic credibility of the electoral process will be safeguarded.
“The third precondition is the freedom of political parties and their leaders to campaign without restrictions. This means that, beyond the existing court proceedings, currently imprisoned leaders can fully enjoy their rights.”
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