Disqualified to run for public office, politicians María Corina Machado and Freddy Superlano greet supporters in Caracas, Venezuela, October 13, 2023. Photo: Rayner Peña/EFE.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—This Wednesday, Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Yván Gil published a statement explaining the status of the recent actions of the Venezuelan government with a view to ending illegal US and European sanctions and healing the social wounds that they have among the population.
In this sense, in his social media accounts, Minister Gil wrote: “The negotiations have been focused mainly on healing the social wounds caused by the illegitimate economic aggression, through the full lifting of criminal ‘sanctions,’ and on ratifying the broad and solid electoral guarantees provided for in the Venezuelan legal system, which have been developed through throughout the last decade by the Electoral Power.”
El Gobierno de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela informa que, durante el año 2023, ha llevado adelante negociaciones con representantes del Gobierno de los EEUU y con las distintas oposiciones de Venezuela.
Las negociaciones han estado enfocadas principalmente en sanar las… pic.twitter.com/65SUuDfR9H
— Yvan Gil (@yvangil) October 17, 2023
Below is the unofficial translations of the communiqué:
The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela reports that, during the year 2023, it has carried out negotiations with representatives of the US Government and with the different oppositions of Venezuela, some of them grouped in the Unitary Platform, with the aim of addressing strategic issues related to national political and democratic life, aimed at reconnecting extremist sectors with the institutions and definitively distancing them from violence and destabilization.
Likewise, the negotiations have been mainly focused on healing the social wounds caused by the illegitimate economic aggression, through the full lifting of the criminal “sanctions” that have collectively punished the Venezuelan population without distinction, requested by this same opposition, with whom, today, we are agreeing to begin the process for its complete lifting.
As a result of this process, a partial agreement has been signed in Barbados with the Unitary Platform of Venezuela, in order to ratify the broad and solid electoral guarantees provided for in the Venezuelan legal system, which have been developed over the last decade by the Electoral Power through a solid, invulnerable, and robust electoral system.
Likewise, an agreement has been signed in support of the historical, sovereign, and inalienable rights of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela over the Essequibo territory. Similarly, the rejection of the unilateral and illegal provision by the Cooperative Republic of Guyana of undelimited waters through the granting of hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation licenses has been established.
We have also opposed the criminal seizure of assets and property belonging to the company CITGO Petroleum Corporation.
With these agreements, Venezuela takes another step on the path to ending the criminal unilateral coercive measures adopted against our people and the recovery of the welfare state achieved by the Bolivarian Revolution.
Likewise, it ratifies its commitment to dialogue and the constitutional and electoral route as the only way to resolve differences between Venezuelans, without external interference and within the framework of participatory democracy.
The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela appreciates the trust placed by the Venezuelan people and, at the same time, confirms that it will not rest in its sacred duty to guarantee peace, stability and national prosperity.
–Caracas, October 17, 2023
Venezuela’s Government Delegation Signs 2 Agreements in Barbados to Resume Peace Talks
Jorge Rodríguez’s response to Gerardo Blyde
Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, confirmed on Tuesday that in the partial agreement signed in Barbados with the Unitary Platform, it was agreed that the political disqualifications against some possible electoral candidates will not be lifted.
“If the [potential] candidate received an administrative disqualification from the body to which it corresponds from a constitutional and legal point of view, which is the comptroller general of the Republic, then he/she cannot be a candidate either,” explained deputy Rodriguez.
During a press conference, the representative of the national government stated that he wanted to clarify this point, because the agreement mentions the rights of everyone to run for office without any limitations other than those already established in the laws. Disqualifications issued by the Comptroller General Office are among those limitations defined in Venezuelan law.
Jorge Rodríguez’s clarification comes after the head of the Unitary Platform delegation, Gerardo Blyde, said that the signed agreement would establish a route for disqualified candidates and political parties to quickly recover their rights.
Likewise, Rodríguez added that the intention of the Unitary Platform and the government of Venezuela in signing this partial agreement is to lay the foundations for an agreement that draws an outline for the upcoming presidential elections.
President Maduro Dismisses Washington Post’s Report on Alleged Agreement With US
“Free and fair” elections
Mainstream media constantly refers to US government talking points about “free and fair” elections in Venezuela without presenting solid evidence of flaws in the Venezuelan electoral system. This system is used alternately by the Venezuelan opposition when they believe they have a real chance at victory and discredited or abandoned when it appears that the opposition will not win electorally.
Regarding the disqualifications and “political prisoners” narrative, the US government and its stenographers with mainstream media outlets often forget to mention the real causes that have led some opposition politicians to be imprisoned, most of the time related to unquestionable treason crimes, coup plotting, or the promotion of violence and hate.
Meanwhile, disqualification are administrative procedures issued against some opposition politicians (and, sometimes, against Chavista politicians) for their responsibility in crimes or administrative wrongdoings. Many of the most contentious disqualifications, like the one against María Corina Machado or Henrique Capriles, are long-dated disqualifications, and it is difficult to argue that they were issued to forbid these politicians from participating in the 2024 presidential race.
Some analysts also question the approach of these opposition candidates toward the disqualifications, because they do not use the courts to fight them, as this helps them to pretend they have been unjustly accused. However, in recent days, some reports have been published in local news about Maria Corina Machado taking legal measures against her disqualification.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
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