Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador during his morning press conference on Friday, April 5, 2024. Photo: Mexican government.
When asked about the upcoming elections in Venezuela, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) avoided commenting on the matter, using Mexico’s well-known diplomacy that always seeks restraint. He expressed his opinion about the global far-right’s daily attacks against the government of Venezuela.
“Now, the entire right is against Venezuela. The entire right, the entire world, as they are against Cuba,” the Mexican president responded to a journalist’s question.
In his speech, AMLO said he would not spend much time speaking out about other countries’ internal affairs since these are comments used by his political detractors. “I do not want to give my opinion for the same reason because it gives more issues to our adversaries, the conservatives.”
He limited himself to expressing his hope that Venezuela’s elections would be held peacefully and that the country’s destiny would be sealed at the ballot box. “I hope there is a democracy, that the elections are held in peace, and that is it. Leave the Venezuelan people free to choose,” he added.
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AMLO noted that, similarly to Venezuela, he has also suffered onslaught from the right-wing press. “We also suffered it [the media warfare], the dirty war. They said we were going to become Venezuela. Do you remember? They already forgot,” López Obrador pointed out regarding the far-right cliche demonizing Venezuela and Venezuelans.
“They took images of Chávez linking him to me, but complaints were filed with the INE (National Electoral Institute), and the messages were not withdrawn until 15 days later,” he explained. “At that same time, [former Spanish President] Aznar spoke badly about me, and there was no sanction, so we already know them very well.”
Venezuela welcomed AMLO’s words
On behalf of the Venezuelan government, Foreign Minister Yván Gil thanked the Mexican president for recognizing the siege suffered by Venezuela due to the global right, which has united to torpedo the Venezuelan elections and cast doubt on the quality of its electoral system.
Las palabras del presidente de México, Andrés Manuel @LopezObrador_, son sumamente acertadas. Venezuela no solo tiene a toda la derecha fascista del mundo en contra sino que es su más grande amenaza debido a nuestra firme negativa a convertirnos en un "patio trasero" o colonia de… pic.twitter.com/Xgc9NiNuUQ
— Yvan Gil (@yvangil) April 5, 2024
“The words of the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, are extremely accurate. Venezuela not only has the entire fascist right of the world against it but is its own greatest threat due to our firm refusal to become a “backyard” or colony of any other nation with imperial pretensions,” Minister Gil wrote on social media.
The statements made by AMLO come just when several South American leaders have attempted to revive the so-called failed Lima Group, which tried to condemn Venezuela to regional isolation by far-right governments in Latin America under the direction of the US government.
(Últimas Noticias) by Randolf Borges
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SF
