EU pledges ‘further action’ if president does not call a new election, building on calls from Paris, Berlin and Madrid.
The European Union on Saturday urged Venezuela to call elections in the coming days, warning that it would otherwise “take further actions” including the potential recognition of the country’s parliamentary chief, Juan Guaidó, as interim president.
The statement — issued by the EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, on behalf of the 28 EU countries — followed hours after France, Germany and Spain called on Venezuela to call an election within eight days, pledging to otherwise recognize the opposition leader as president.
“The Venezuelan people must be able to freely decide their future,” French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted Saturday. “Without elections announced within 8 days, we will be ready to recognize Juan Guaidó as the ‘president in charge’ of Venezuela to start a political process. We are working on this between European partners.”
The German government’s deputy spokesperson, Martina Fietz, put out a similar statement moments later, adding that Berlin was also “working closely European partners.” Speaking in a televised address, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez issued the same deadline for Caracas to hold “fair, free and transparent elections.”
Tens of thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets this week to express their anger over spiraling inflation, a persistent shortage of basic goods and electoral fraud. They also demanded the resignation of Nicolás Maduro, who was inaugurated for a second term as president on January 10.
The joint EU statement is more careful than the position taken by Paris, Berlin and Madrid.
“In the absence of an announcement on the organization of fresh elections with the necessary guarantees over the next days, the EU will take further actions, including on the issue of recognition of the country’s leadership in line with article 233 of the Venezuelan constitution,” it says.
Article 233 is a reference to Guaidó: It says the parliamentary leader should temporarily take leadership to organize new elections within 30 days if the president “becomes permanently unavailable.”
Guaidó used Article 233 to declare himself interim president on Wednesday, arguing that Maduro’s reelection last year was rigged and that there was therefore no democratically elected president available.
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France, Germany and Spain have urged Venezuela to call elections in the next eight days — warning they would otherwise recognize the country's parliamentary chief as interim president https://t.co/80gwYxJ8sL
— POLITICO (@politico) January 26, 2019
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