Far-right former Latin American presidents were forced to abandon a plan of media stunt in Venezuela two days before the presidential elections. Photo: X/@NituPerez.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—Venezuelan authorities denied entry to a group of far-right Latin American politicians led by former Mexican President Vicente Fox that had planned to perform a media stunt in the country.
On Friday, July 26, a group of former Latin American presidents subservient to Washington’s dictates were barred from boarding a flight from Panama to Venezuela after Venezuelan authorities notified the flight operator, COPA Airlines, that their entry to Venezuela was going to be rejected as they had not been invited by the Venezuelan National Electoral Council (CNE) as observers for the July 28 presidential elections.
The president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, reported on Friday that the COPA flight 223 carrying the far-right politicians was prevented from taking off from Panama.
“A Copa plane carrying [former] President [Mireya] Moscoso and other former presidents bound for Venezuela has not been allowed to take off from Tocumen [airport] while they remain on board, due to the closure of Venezuelan airspace. Another Copa flight from Caracas to Panama has not been allowed to take off,” the Panamanian president reported on social media.
Group of far-right former presidents and vice-presidents planning to do a media show in Venezuela, rejected to flight to Venezuela from Panama as they lack CNE invitations. No pasaran! Acá no andamos jugando carritos! https://t.co/SbJv0vy7MY
— Orinoco Tribune (@OrinocoTribune) July 26, 2024
The far-right former Mexican president was accompanied by other right-wing former presidents and vice presidents: Mireya Moscoso of Panama, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez of Costa Rica, Jorge Quiroga of Bolivia, and former vice president of Colombia, Marta Lucía Ramírez. None of them were formally invited by the Venezuelan electoral authorities to observe Sunday’s presidential elections.
Venezuelan authorities have not yet issued any official statement about the incident. However, in recent weeks, several government officials publicly stated that no foreign visitors with biased political history were going to be allowed to self-appoint as observers and perform media stunts in Venezuela.
Other incidents
In recent days, Latin American presidents such as Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Brazil), Gabriel Boric (Chile), and former President Alberto Fernández (Argentina) have criticized the Venezuelan electoral process and President Nicolás Maduro by repeating mainstream media’s fake narratives about alleged attacks against far-right politician María Corina Machado or “inappropriate” statements made by President Maduro.
These politicians thus aligned themselves with mainstream narratives from Washington attempting to tarnish the presidential elections in Venezuela. These narratives point at an alleged refusal by President Maduro to recognize the result of the elections, when in reality his government signed an agreement of the Venezuelan National Electoral Council (CNE) a few weeks ago, together with seven other opposition candidates, expressing their commitment to recognizing the results declared by the CNE. The agreement clearly stated that all the candidates agreed to respect the results and avoid promoting violence after the announcement of results. On the contrary, it was the far-right candidate Edmundo González who refused to sign this agreement.
Venezuela toma decisiones democráticas. Cualquiera que sea su voluntad será respetada por mi gobierno.
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) July 26, 2024
This mainstream media trend also promotes a narrative about an electoral fraud that allegedly is going to happen, when all international analysts and electoral experts including right-wing ones stress that the Venezuelan electoral system is foolproof against any sort of fraud.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro issued a balanced statement on Friday, thus becoming one of the few heads of state who have taken a discrete and responsible position regarding the election. “Venezuela is taking democratic decisions. Whatever its will is, it will be respected by my government,” President Petro wrote on social media.
According to Colombian media, the Colombian Foreign Ministry would not send any observer delegation for the Venezuelan elections. The Colombian government’s position seems to be to remain cautious amid the political situation in the neighboring country and to wait for the results before adopting any decision.
Venezuelan Public Ministry warns anyone planning to violate electoral law to be prepare to face justice. This in response to far-right Unitary Platform (PUD) statements (via Biagio Pilieri) promoting the not-recognition of CNE's electoral results this Sunday. https://t.co/txZCWUNXgg
— Orinoco Tribune (@OrinocoTribune) July 26, 2024
Fraud narrative
Regarding the fraud narrative, Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab issued a warning for anyone planning to violate electoral law that they should be prepared to face justice. He said this in response to far-right Unitary Platform’s spokesperson Biagio Pilieri’s incitement for non-recognition of the electoral results declared by the CNE. Pilieri had claimed that the only results that his platform would recognize will be those noted in the electoral minutes at each polling station.
“We will have the minutes of the 30,026 voting tables of the more than 15,000 voting centers, belonging to the over 1,100 parishes and 335 municipalities, and we will respect what those minutes say in a process that has to be free, democratic and transparent on the election day,” Pilieri said in a press conference. “What our minutes say, which is the will of the people of Venezuela, of course we will respect it, and we are more certain than ever that those minutes will say that Edmundo González will be the next president elected on July 28.”
Venezuela’s National Electoral Council Welcomes National and International Observers
In response, Attorney General Saab wrote on social media, “The Public Ministry, in response to Biagio Pilieri’s reckless statements, and according to the mandate of respect and compliance with the legal framework of our country, warns the following: 1) Whoever instigates or promotes the usurpation of the exclusive role of the National Electoral Council (CNE), will incur in a crime. 2) Consequently: Because it is a crime of usurpation of functions that are inherent to the governing body on electoral matters, and the purpose of the crime is to generate chaos and anxiety in the population, this Public Ministry will immediately initiate an investigation and the perpetrators of such crimes will be detained based on what is established in the law and the constitution.”
According to many analysts, the Chavista demonstration on Friday in Caracas, at the closing of Nicolás Maduro’s campaign, was the biggest demonstration ever held during Maduro’s government and similar to the largest political rallies organized during President Chávez’s times. This reality has created more apprehension among far-right politicians who, according to some experts, might feel inclined to move ahead faster with their plan of creating violence after the CNE’s declaration of electoral results on Sunday night, with the most probable scenario of President Maduro’s victory.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/SC
