The European Union defends that the conditions exist to send an electoral observer mission to Venezuela. The path taken by the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, weeks ago to negotiate the presence of observers with the dictatorship, takes a new step with the contempt of the European institutions for two key figures in the Venezuelan opposition: Leopoldo López and Juan Guaidó.
The EU assures that the rejection shown by the two opponents – whom it calls dissidents – does not represent the entire Venezuelan opposition. «The views expressed by Guaidó and López do not correspond to that of Voluntad Popular, which has not expressed itself against it. The majority of the opposition in the Unitary Platform wants to go to the elections. We will have to pay more attention to those who participate in the elections who are going to be at risk, “said community sources, in response to criticism from both opponents who allege that the minimum conditions are not met in Venezuela and that the European mission will benefit to the regime of Nicolás Maduro .
The decision to send an observation mission to the regional and local elections of November 21 has not encountered obstacles between the 27 or the groups of the European Parliament and it has been verified, according to the same sources, the interest of the main actors in the South American country, including Popular Will, the formation of Juan Guaidó and Leopoldo López.
Community diplomacy rejects his thesis and indicates that the elections will have the majority participation of the opposition . In addition, the EU sees positive being able to contribute, through the hundred observers who will follow the electoral process on the ground, to guaranteeing the security and cleanliness of the elections.
Anyway, in Brussels they recognize that sending an observation mission to Venezuela for the first time since 2006 involves “political risks”, as well as “logistical and physical”. But they defend that it will serve to protect the interests of the Venezuelan democrats and to improve the conditions of the elections.
“There is no hidden agenda, nor is there an attempt to harm one or the other faction,” said a senior European official, reiterating that the initiative is in line with the intention of the Twenty-seven to promote a political solution to the Venezuelan crisis.
As a backdrop, there are the negotiations between the government and the opposition in Mexico, which began in mid-August and which have already achieved a rapprochement of positions, as well as a new era in the White House with the arrival of Joe Biden . Although the United States maintains a more assertive position towards Caracas, it has not expressed itself against the European initiative, something that in Brussels they consider creates space to advance in the political solution to the social, economic and political crisis that the country is going through.
Agreement with Caracas
The EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, announced this week the decision to deploy observers in the elections, the step was taken after completing the negotiation with Caracas in which the bloc wanted to put “black on white” the commitment of allow deployment with international standards.
It was key for Venezuela to change the electoral monitoring law, which de facto prevented the presence of observers, and to negotiate an administrative agreement that will allow observers to participate in different parts of the country following the usual procedures of other electoral observation tasks.
Now it remains to be seen the role of the European Parliament, which must decide whether to send a delegation of parliamentarians. It usually reinforces technical observation by sending a group of MEPs to carry out follow-up tasks during election day, giving political weight to the mission. The decision is in the hands of the political groups present in the group for Support for Democracy and Electoral Coordination of the European Parliament.
The EU has already tried unsuccessfully to follow the elections to the Assembly last December, then the negotiations were short on time and failed. On that occasion, the opposition did not go to the elections, leaving all the institutional organs in the power of Chavismo and in a complicated position to Guaidó as president in charge.
At that time, the bloc chose not to recognize the legitimacy of the new Chamber and, in turn, stopped considering Guaidó as the interim leader of Venezuela, upon the expiration of the mandate of the previous Assembly, although, on the other hand, it recognized the opposition leader and outgoing parliamentarians as valid interlocutors of the bloc.
