Brazil advocates political dialogue and election in Venezuela

Brazil's Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes advocated political dialogue on Monday (April 10) and the confirmation of an election calendar in Venezuela to ensure the “full restoration of democracy” in the neighboring country.

The political situation in Venezuela was one of the topics in Nunes's meeting in Brasília with Luís Almagro, Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS) on Monday (10). Aloysio Nunes did not rule out the possibility of a “group assessment” of the Venezuelan crisis by the OAS countries.

“Brazil is favorable to a national political dialogue, one that is inclusive, loyal, and effective, and that is capable of ensuring the full restoration of democracy, the separation of powers, and the rule of law. We insist on setting an election calendar as soon as possible. The people must speak, and their voice will be key to solving the crisis in Venezuela,” Nunes said.

In a press statement, Aloysio Nunes said the Brazilian government has insistently offered humanitarian aid to Venezuela and that could help “alleviate the suffering of the Venezuelan people with the lack of food and medicines.”

Election

According to Luís Almagro, democracy cannot be restored in Venezuela until power is devolved to “the rightful sovereign—the people.” “The only way out of this institutional and political crisis is the ballot, with an election calendar that allows the sovereign people to decide their future,” he said.

“Every article of the Inter-American Democratic Charter has been affected by the current situation in Venezuela,” he went on, mentioning persisting political arrests, a humanitarian crisis which, he says, has affected basic social rights of Venezuelans, failure to observe the separation of powers and recognize the authority of the National Assembly.

Translated by Mayra Borges