EU’s top diplomat warns of ‘chaos’ in Venezuela if election dispute is not resolved soon

By Fernando Heller

Venezuela could enter a “condition of chaos” if the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, insists on claiming that he won the 28 July national election without being able to prove it, EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell warned Monday.

Thousands marched through the streets of Caracas Saturday protesting the government’s July 28 election results.

“If Maduro insists on saying he has won and does not want to understand that, for the international community, without verification, there is no assumption of results, Venezuela could enter an extremely serious crisis – and we are all trying to prevent this from happening,” Borrell said.

“We could be looking at rising rates of violence in a country already very violent, as well as economic collapse as the country isolates itself from the community of nations,” he added. “We could also face another mass migration out of the country, further burdening other nations in the region.”

His comments come three weeks after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claimed a re-election victory, which the US and other Western countries condemned as voting fraud.

Borrell called it a “clear” negative sign that Maduro “refuses to show the rolls”. “He should have done it by now; he has had time,” said the EU foreign policy chief.

“If there is no verification of the results, the results cannot be accepted,” he said, adding the results presented by the opposition appear to be accurate.

Borrell welcomed the efforts of former allies of Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico and Colombia, to broker a settlement but said those efforts have so far shown little progress. He rejected suggestions for another election. “We’ve already had an election — what we need now are the honest results.”

Currently, no Western country has moved towards taking any actions against Maduro. It is anticipated that the EU is unlikely to do so, but instead probably discuss the subject when EU foreign affairs ministers meet in Brussels next week.
Borrell also commented on the harsh criticism levelled at him earlier this month by Maduro, who claimed that the head of European diplomacy was a “disgrace” for the EU and the World.

“Mr. Borrell is a disgrace who led Ukraine into war and now washes his hands of it; who is silent in the face of the massacre in Gaza,” Maduro previously said.

“I know that Maduro has dedicated very affectionate words to me. it is not the first time, but I have to insist on the same thing. If the results cannot be verified, they cannot be accepted, and for the moment, they are not verifiable,” Borrell insisted.

He also noted that Venezuela’s opposition has managed to collect “80% or more” of electoral rolls, which provides a picture that is “radically different from the one that Maduro claims.”

The EU’s top diplomat called it “the height of sarcasm,” that Maduro has appealed to Venezuela’s Supreme Court to defend him. “It is well known that this court lacks all credibility and aptly fits the description of kangaroo court,” Borrell said. “I don’t think anyone is holding their breath for that decision.”

He urged people to wait and see what happens in the coming days, recalling that more than 2,000 people have been arrested so far, and “repression is increasing,” also expressing confidence that the international community will keep up its pressure on the Maduro regime.
_________________

Credit: EuroFirst