EU is to announce position on Venezuela’s government
The EU will today announce its position on the new Venezuelan National Assembly.
The National Assembly, now controlled by President Nicolas Maduro’s government, was installed yesterday following the elections on December 6, despite rejection from the international community. The opposition, led by Juan Guaidó, attempted to boycott the elections and asked for a one-year extension for the Assembly to force the Chavista government to step down. However, the proposal was not granted, making way for the overthrow of Venezuela’s last democratically-held institution.
The EU has deemed the election results fraudulent and the government as lacking democratic legitimacy. In order to revert Venezuela’s spiral toward authoritarianism, economic collapse and humanitarian crisis, European leaders have advocated for new elections.
Today’s EU statement will likely strengthen Guaidó’s position, but will not affect any tangible short-term change. The EU will likely seek an alliance with the new Biden administration and consider pushing for more sanctions on the Maduro regime while emphasising humanitarian concerns.
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