The Brazilian government accuses “lack of transparency” in the electoral process and does not recognize Maduro as president. The country’s position is to avoid positions that threaten the peace of South America.
The advisor for international affairs of the Brazilian Government, Celso Amorim, declared this Tuesday that in the recent Venezuelan elections “the principle of transparency was not respected”, so the proclaimed victory of the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, cannot be recognized.
Amorim, who was Minister of Foreign Affairs during the first two terms of the current Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, appeared before the Foreign Relations Commission of the Chamber of Deputies to explain Brazil’s position regarding the turbulent Venezuelan electoral process.
The advisor explained that, in its attempts at mediation, Brazil has been guided by the principles of “defense of democracy, non-interference in internal affairs and peaceful resolution of disputes“.
However, Amorim highlighted that since the detailed results of the elections in Venezuela, in which the electoral authorities proclaimed Maduro’s victory, were not published, “the principle of transparency was not respected“.
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The advisor emphasized that, for this reason, Brazil does not recognize the result or the victory that the opposition attributes to Edmundo González Urrutia, exiled in Spain this Tuesday.
Regarding the minutes released by the opposition, he pointed out that “recognizing different results based on the data collected by a candidate would represent a dangerous precedent for democratic institutions.”
In the same way, Amorim reiterated his concern about the human rights situation in Venezuela and with the new civil society control mechanisms established by the Maduro Government after the elections.
According to Amorim, Brazil’s main interest will be to avoid tensions that threaten peace in South America, although he has clarified that the solution must be reached by the Venezuelans themselves.
Bilateral relations gradually deteriorated after the elections, especially due to Brazil’s insistence on publishing detailed minutes of the process.
Together with Colombia and, to a lesser extent, Mexico, Brazil tried to mediate between the Government and the opposition to try to resolve the crisis, but these attempts were rejected and disqualified by the Venezuelan ruling party.
In this context, Amorim stated that Brazil remains “open to contributing if there is a will on both sides,” with which it tries to “maintain dialogue,” although he acknowledged that “it is not easy.”
Tension with Venezuela worsened last week, when the Government led by Lula da Silva refused to accept Venezuela as a new associate member of the BRICS forum, founded by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
This position was considered by Venezuela as an aggression and a hostile gesture, which it framed as “the criminal policy of sanctions that were imposed against a brave and revolutionary people, like the Venezuelans.”
Although he explained that Brazil will maintain discretion and avoid discussing the matter through the ‘media’, Amorim considered that the Venezuelan reaction was “disproportionate to say the least.”
Last Monday, Maduro asked Lula da Silva to comment on the Brazilian veto of Venezuela’s entry into the BRICS diplomatic bloc.
“I prefer to wait for Lula [da Silva] Keep in mind that you are well informed of events and that, as head of state, you say what you have to say,” Maduro said during his weekly broadcast on public television.
Source: Observadora
