August 16. 2024
President Maduro at today’s press conference.
Following declarations from the Brazilian and Colombian heads of state, Nicolás Maduro told the media that Venezuela is a sovereign country and the decisions about the country would be made by its institutions.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro told media outlets on the evening of August 15 that he rejects calls for redo elections by his counterparts in Brazil and Colombia. He declared that “Venezuela has the sovereignty of an independent country with a Constitution, it has institutions, and the conflicts in Venezuela of any kind are solved among Venezuelans, with their institutions, with their law and with their Constitution.”
His statements came hours after the heads of state had declared through different channels that the “solution” to the problems facing Venezuela following its presidential election on July 28 would be to create a government of “cohabitation” with the right-wing or to hold redo elections.
Their statements were a sharp contrast to their earlier position wherein they called for respect to Venezuela’s sovereignty and democratic processes, and to wait for the decision of its competent institutions.
On the same day, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said in his morning press conference that he rejected calls for redo elections, “Let’s see what the court decides. I do not think it is prudent for us from the outside, a foreign government, whoever it may be, to give our opinion on something that should be resolved by Venezuelans.”
Below is a transcript of his full statement to reporters.
Journalist: President Petro and Lula talk about a new election. US President Joe Biden said at first that he supported a new election and then said that he had misunderstood that question and said that he did not support it. While Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says that it is not wise to make that proposal and says that we have to wait for what the Supreme Court of Justice says. What is your response?
President Nicolás Maduro: Well, first of all, Venezuela has the sovereignty of an independent country with a Constitution, it has institutions, and the conflicts in Venezuela of any kind are solved among Venezuelans, with their institutions, with their law and with their Constitution.
I do not practice megaphone diplomacy and I will never practice it, because imagine that, you then become an advisor to the other countries, no?
Former President Donald Trump made very serious allegations that fraud was committed in the United States, and in the end, in the United States, there was a strong conflict on January 6, 2021, an assault on Congress and the one who ratified President Biden’s victory was the United States Congress. Nobody came out in the world to tell him, “Look there was fraud, do this, do that.” No one did that, just as it should be in the 21st century.
In Brazil as well, former president Bolsonaro, of the extreme right wing, allied with the fascist extreme right wing of Venezuela, and he too cried fraud and did not accept defeat. And it was the Brazilian Court who decided.
And nobody from Venezuela, neither our government nor anybody, and I think in the world to ask for anything. But the Court decided and then the Court’s word was sacred. It is a matter of Brazil.
Then, on January 8th, there was a surprise with an attempted coup d’état, assault to the public powers, and what was done from Venezuela was to condemn the violence of fascism.
We do not practice megaphone diplomacy.
And in the case of Colombia we have been rebuilding relations with great dedication. I believe that relations with President Petro are going well.
We privately talk about many issues, we always call each other on the phone and we talk about many issues as well, but I would never practice megaphone diplomacy with Colombia. Never. I will never do it. I am the guarantor of the peace negotiation. Venezuela is a guarantor and I will never give opinions on what Colombia should do to overcome the war, which is getting worse and worse.
No, I am never going to say Colombia, your government should do this, this, this and write in my social networks an advice, no, every president knows, every state, every country knows what to do with its internal affairs and we will continue helping Colombia in its peace process, without intervening or meddling in Colombia’s internal affairs.
In the case of the United States it is different because they have an interventionist imperialist diplomacy. Biden is part of that interventionist diplomacy.
Today, he has stunned the world, because they had to correct the president. President Biden declared in an interventionist way on the internal affairs of Venezuela, which only concern Venezuelans, Venezuelan institutions. So he gives an opinion and half an hour later, State Department spokespersons walk it back.
In the end, who is in charge in the United States? Who is in charge of the foreign policy of the United States? The president says something and then his own Foreign Ministry and the White House itself dismisses it? In any case, I fully and absolutely reject that the US Government is trying to become the electoral authority in Venezuela or anywhere in the world. They have to review the tremendous problem they have internally where Donald Trump says that he is not going to recognize any result that is adverse to him and Biden goes and says that if Donald Trump loses there is going to be a civil war in the United States.
They have a lot of problems, let them deal with their problems, because here in Venezuela we Venezuelan men and women are in charge of our country, it’s that simple.
Journalist: How do you explain to the people of the world this situation or how ill-advised these alleged proposals are?
President Nicolás Maduro: Well, Venezuela has a Constitution. Venezuela has an electoral schedule. Venezuela has institutions, an electoral power, a judicial power. The last word is up to the public powers of Venezuela. In the meantime, we will focus on working, doing positive things for Venezuela. Now, all that fuss that they make on CNN, on AP agency, on EFE agency, let’s leave it to them.
They are the ones who are confused, in turmoil and desperate.
Venezuelans are dedicated to work and nobody is going to derail us. Venezuela will follow its path of peace, of institutional strengthening and here the law, order and the Venezuelan Constitution will prevail. It is as simple as that.
We are a sovereign country and we will prove it again.
Journalist: President, I also wanted to ask you about the process of expert review that you carried out a few moments ago and that was also reported by the magistrate of the Supreme Court of Justice. What is your opinion about this process?
Nicolás Maduro: Well, I was watching the pronouncement of the Electoral Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice and it seems to me that they keep the public opinion well informed. I respect all the procedural steps they are taking, my greatest respect to the public powers, to the Judiciary. And well, let’s hope they develop their work and at the time they deem appropriate, according to the processes they are carrying out in accordance with the law, they will issue a definitive sentence.
So I think it is good news for all of Venezuela that the Supreme Court of Justice in its Electoral Chamber is doing the work that we all expect to be done. And this electoral dispute, as the Constitution says, as the Law says, will be resolved in the highest instance that Venezuela created in its Constitution for this type of matters.
Source: Peoples Dispatch