The president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, leading a session in parliament on Wednesday, September 11, 2024. Photo: Globovision.
The president of the Venezuelan National Assembly (AN), Jorge Rodríguez, has asked the Foreign Policy Commission of parliament to prepare a report calling for President Nicolás Maduro’s administration to break diplomatic, commercial, and consular relations with Spain—including the suspension of commercial passenger flights—in response to the decision of the Spanish Congress to ignore the democratic victory of President Nicolás Maduro in the July 28 Venezuelan elections, and instead “recognize” the fictitious “victory” of the far-right opposition’s former candidate, Edmundo González.
“They want a fight, so we’ll give them one,” Rodríguez said this Wednesday, September 11. “What the Spanish Congress did is the equivalent of a declaration of war against the Venezuelan people and against their legitimately constituted government. We will not accept it.”
Rodríguez said that this action is similar to what happened in 2019 when the Spanish parliament decided to “recognize” Juan Guaidó as the so-called “interim president” of Venezuela. “It is inconceivable that there are human beings who would think of repeating—in such a short period of time— such a ridiculous error,” he added, “that they would commit the same blunder and stupidity again.”
He said that this decision by the Spanish Congress is an outrageous display of disrespect for international law. “Would they have allowed it if Venezuela had said that it believed in the consultation for Catalonia to become independent?” Rodríguez explained. “We, being respectful as we are, do not interfere in the affairs of other countries.”
The head of parliament explained that Venezuela is a sovereign nation that was liberated over two centuries ago from the Spanish empire, and that today its people “will do anything except give up their independence and sovereignty,” adding that a fundamental necessity is for these interfering imperial countries to “respect Venezuela. If they do not respect it, they will find themselves holding commercial activities with any country except Venezuela.”
Rodríguez further condemned the fact that the kingdom of Spain insists on giving refuge to “criminals, fascists, and coup plotters” who have attacked Venezuela and its people. He recalled that fugitives from justice such as Leopoldo López, Julio Borges, Antonio Ledezma, and Enzo Franchini, accused of murdering Orlando Figuera during the 2017 riots, are protected by Spain, and noted that the country speaks in the name of democracy but maintains a monarchy.
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It is important to note that a few days ago, the Spanish Congress approved a non-binding resolution—with 177 votes in favor and 164 against—urging the government of Pedro Sánchez to recognize Edmundo González as the winner of the Venezuelan presidential elections. The decision was made three days after the former far-right opposition candidate arrived in that nation as a political asylum seeker.
Diosdado Cabello
The Venezuelan minister for internal affairs, justice, and peace, Diosdado Cabello, also took care to draw attention this Wednesday to the fact that the “misnamed” Kingdom of Spain insists on interfering in the internal affairs of Venezuela, despite the fact that they are the ones “protecting” the murderers of the young Orlando Figuera, who was burned alive by supporters of fascism in 2017.
“What the hell does the Kingdom of Spain have to do with the elections in Venezuela?” he stated during his speech at the World Congress Against Fascism. “We kicked them out of here 200 years ago and we will do it again, to them and to any empire.”
(Alba Ciudad) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/AU
