The regime of Nicolás Maduro is considered illegitimate, and his presidency is deemed an unlawful attempt to maintain power by force, according to MEPs in a resolution adopted with 374 votes in favour, 53 against, and 163 abstentions on Thursday.
In the strongest possible terms, MEPs condemned Maduro’s usurpation of the presidency in Venezuela and commended the resilience of the democratic opposition, as well as the commitment of the Venezuelan people to democracy in the face of repression.
The European Parliament recognises Edmundo González Urrutia as the legitimate winner of the presidential election. It asserts that the Venezuelan regime has missed a crucial opportunity to respect the will of the people and ensure a transparent democratic transition of power. The regime lacks democratic and political legitimacy, and the Parliament does not recognise Nicolás Maduro as president.
MEPs urge the Venezuelan regime to revoke the unjustified arrest warrant issued for Edmundo González Urrutia and call for the publication of the electoral record for the elections held on 28 July 2024. They welcome the recent decision by the Council to extend targeted sanctions to 15 additional individuals and call for these sanctions to be strengthened and expanded to include Nicolás Maduro, his inner circle, and their families. MEPs also emphasise the need to target Jorge Rodríguez and Vladimir Padrino López, along with all those responsible for human rights violations, the illegitimate assertion of authority, the usurpation of official functions, and repression in Venezuela.
Expressing full support for the International Criminal Court’s investigations into the extensive crimes committed by the Venezuelan regime, MEPs urge the EU, its member states, and all democratic regional and international actors to unconditionally align themselves, as a moral duty, with the democratic forces in Venezuela and to do everything possible to restore democracy in the country. MEPs argue that there is no ambiguity or middle ground between democracy and dictatorship; one must choose to support either the democrats and those suffering from repression or the dictators.
