Venezuela Election: EU Uninvited To Observe July Election by Nicolas Maduro Regime

The Venezuela election is heating up as Nicolas Maduro continues his repression campaign to try and hold onto power. His latest act is barring the EU from observing the July vote. The decision was apparently made by Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE).

Elvis Amoroso, the head of the CNE, announced that the country has revoked its invitation for the European Union to send election observers this July and the reason for this is because of the sanctions the European organization has levied against Venezuela.

The EU did remove individual sanctions against Amoroso, but the Venezuelan official rejected this and stated that all sanctions against Venezuela should be removed. Shortly after, the country's legislature, which is loyal to the Maduro regime, approved a measure to ask the CNE to revoke the invitation for EU election observers, according to the Associated Press.

As part of its deal with the various opposition parties and the United States to conduct free and fair elections, Venezuela agreed to allow international observers to witness the election process and ensure that the democratic process is free and fair. This led to the Maduro regime inviting the EU as one of the independent observers.

However, Venezuela has been breaking its promises in its pact, with this barring of EU observers being the latest. Previously, Venezuela broke its promise to allow all disqualified candidates to run when the Maduro-aligned Supreme Court upheld the ban on opposition candidate Maria Corina Machado.

"They are not worthy people to come to this country ... while they maintain sanctions," said Amoroso in a statement, calling the EU sanctions as "coercive, unilateral, and genocidal."

Which International Observers Are Left for the Venezuela Elections After the EU Was Barred?

This begs the question of which international observers are left after the EU was booted out. According to Amoroso himself, there are still a few others and these are the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), a panel of experts from the United Nations, the African Union, and the Carter Center.

Reuters noted that the US has reimposed its sanctions against Venezuela, citing that Nicolas Maduro's regime has not done enough to ensure free and fair elections in July. The sanctions were reimposed shortly after Machado's disqualification was upheld.

What Will Happen Should Nicolas Maduro Lose the Venezuela Election?

With Machado disqualified, it is now up to little-known diplomat, former ambassador Edmundo Gonzalez, to challenge Maduro's 11-year rule that has seen Venezuela plunge into instability. If the election is fair, Gonzalez stands a chance to win as he currently leads the dictator in the polls.

As AS/COA noted, the election will be consequential, with Venezuela possibly entering a cycle of re-institutionalization and democratization should Maduro be voted out of office. This might also mean economic recovery and stability for the country as sanctions would be lifted, and many citizens who ran away from the country would return.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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