23 January 2025
The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group abstained from the final vote on a European Parliament resolution condemning the oppressive regime of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, arguing that the resolution was insufficiently strong against Maduro and represented a significant retreat from supporting the democratic opposition.
The adopted resolution only acknowledges Edmundo González Urrutia as the winner of the election, not as the ‘President-elect’ of Venezuela.
ECR MEP Carlo Fidanza, Vice-President of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat), criticised this stance as a serious error in strategy towards supporting the democratic opposition led by María Corina Machado, stating:
“The fight for democracy in Venezuela needs courage, not cowardice. Without recognising the legitimate and elected president, we inadvertently make it easier for the usurper Maduro to proclaim himself as President.”
Fidanza further elaborated:
“With today’s vote, the European Parliament has missed a crucial opportunity to affirm robust support for Edmundo González Urrutia, the only legitimately elected President of Venezuela. This support was vital, especially following Maduro’s usurpation of power on January 10 this year.
“We condemn the actions of the Socialists, who engaged in the negotiations for the joint resolution with the intent to dilute its strength. They withdrew their support for the agreed text only to return in exchange for softer language towards this tyranny.
“We cannot agree with the European People’s Party’s decision to accept to the Socialists’ political blackmail, which led to the weakening of the original text and the rejection of amendments aimed at restoring its original intent.
“While we hope this misstep will not be repeated, as the ECR we reaffirm our recognition of Edmundo González as the legitimate elected President. We remain steadfast in our commitment to support the Venezuelan people’s struggle for freedom and democracy, advocating for stronger international action, and demanding the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners still held by the regime.”