Venezuelan opposition candidate for the presidential elections, Edmundo González Urrutia. File photo.
Edmundo González Urrutia, the Venezuelan presidential candidate for the far-right opposition bloc Unitary Platform (PUD), claimed that there is no negative effect of the US-imposed unilateral coercive measures on the Venezuelan people despite the negative consequences having been recognized by international organizations, including the United Nations.
In an interview on Friday, June 14, Edmundo González claimed that the sanctions against Venezuela “are not directed against the country” but against government officials.
He added that “there are reasons” behind the sanctions and that they are supposedly “linked to actions of the government and some officials.”
“There are reasons for the sanctions, and they are linked to the government’s actions and the individual actions of some government officials. The sanctions are not directed against the country, but against individuals within the government,” the PUD candidate said.
When consulted on whether he supports the sanctions imposed by the United States against Venezuela, González responded that this will be an issue “to be revised and analyzed.” In this way, he leaves open the possibility of further intensifying these coercive measures against the country.
Although González may believe the sanctions do not harm the Venezuelan people, the reality is different. These measures have severely damaged the country’s economy.
The Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Production (Fedecámaras), a right-wing business association, has stated that 81% of the private companies in Venezuela are suffering the effects of the sanctions.
Fedecámaras added that the sanctions have prevented opportunities for the country to grow. Therefore, it considers the sanctions a failed policy, as they have not been able to fulfill their political objectives of “regime change” in Venezuela.
The stock exchange company Rendivalores holds the same opinion, emphasizing that “the sanctions harm the national economy and, consequently, all Venezuelans.”
Moreover, the United Nations has expressed many times that the unilateral coercive measures against Venezuela have limited the capacity of the Venezuelan government to implement social programs.
Similarly, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA-TCP) has condemned unilateral coercive measures for curtailing Venezuela’s production, trade, and investment capacities.
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/SF
