Statement on elections sends ball to Maduro’s feet – 07/19/2023 – Bruno Boghossian

The declaration signed in Brussels for fair elections in Venezuela sends the ball to Nicolás Maduro. The country’s opposition can participate in as many meetings as it wants, but who will decide whether the dispute deserves the adjective is the regime that controls the institutions, concentrates political authority and operates economic power.

Lula’s participation in the move hastened a smooth adjustment of position. The president defended that Maduro showed the world that he is capable of winning free and transparent elections, but signing the document meant that the PT had to fine-tune at least three points during his visit to Belgium.

First, Lula agreed to sit down with the Venezuelan opposition, alongside leaders from Argentina, Colombia, France and the European Union. A few weeks ago, the Brazilian president referred to Maduro’s opponents as “people who do not want to accept the result” of the country’s elections.

At the end of the meeting, the PT spoke of “normalizing the situation in Venezuela”. It is likely that Lula gave more weight to the economic sanctions imposed on the country than to the regime’s democratic violations, but recognizing that there is something abnormal can be considered a relevant step for someone who focused on criticizing narratives against Maduro.

The declaration signed by Brazil is more demanding than the concept of relative democracy that Lula has already adopted to defend the Venezuelan regime. Recently, the petista mocked accusations against Maduro with the finding that “Venezuela has more elections than Brazil”.

The Brussels document states that holding elections is not enough. They must be “fair for all, transparent and inclusive”, as well as allow the participation of opponents in accordance with the law and be accompanied by international observers (something that some allies of Maduro reject).

Lula subscribed to the demands. The petista is more interested in the counterpart that provides for a suspension of US sanctions on Venezuela, but the fact is that his name is there.

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