United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has a very active Monday. Once he declared his outrage at the conviction in Russia of the former American Marine, Paul Whelan, whom the authorities of that country accuse of espionage, at this time the State Department has issued a strong statement against the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro.
Free elections are the path out of Venezuela’s deep political crisis. Unfortunately, on June 12, the Maduro regime-controlled Supreme Court continued to manipulate the Venezuelan Constitution by illegally naming a new, regime-aligned National Electoral Council (CNE).
Venezuelans deserve an independent CNE. The Venezuelan Constitution gives the democratically elected National Assembly the responsibility of electing the CNE members. Without following this process, elections that represent the will of the people are impossible.
The regime has selected a CNE that will rubber-stamp its decisions and ignore the conditions required for free elections.
As we have previously stated, an independent CNE is a central prerequisite for free and fair elections. https://www.state.gov/free-and-fair-presidential-and-parliamentary-elections-in-venezuela
Key areas include:
- Lifting the ban on political parties and candidates
- Lifting politically motivated judicial procedures against opposition politicians
- Releasing all political prisoners
- Respecting freedom of speech, the press, and association
- Resolving in a transparent manner all the technical challenges to free and fair elections including registration of voters and the procurement and handling of voting machines
The Venezuelan people demand and deserve free and fair elections. This step by the regime and its Supreme Court takes Venezuela even further away from a democratic transition.