EU Parliament Recognizes Venezuela's Guaido As Interim President


EU politicians voted 429 in favour to 104 against recognising the opposition leader as the interim leader.


The European Parliament has recognised Venezuela's self-declared interim president Juan Guaido as de facto head of state, heightening international pressure on the OPEC member's socialist President Nicolas Maduro.

EU politicians voted 429 in favour to 104 against, with 88 abstentions, at a special session in Brussels on Thursday to recognise Guaido as interim leader.

In a statement with the non-binding vote, the parliament urged the bloc's 28 governments to follow suit and consider Guaido "the only legitimate interim president" until there were "new free, transparent and credible presidential elections".

Though frequently accusing Maduro of stifling democracy, the European Union, wary of setting a precedent of recognising self-declared leaders, has been reluctant to follow the United States and most Latin American nations in their immediate recognition of Guaido.

Britain, France, Germany and Spain said on Saturday, however, that they would recognise Guaido unless Maduro called elections within eight days.

But the EU as a whole has not set a time limit in its call for a new presidential vote.

Maduro has dismissed the demands, calling them an unacceptable ultimatum from the corrupt elite of spent colonial powers.

"The leaders of Europe are sycophants, kneeling behind the policies of Donald Trump," he said over the weekend.

Maduro accuses the US and other countries of waging an economic war aimed at removing him from power.

The European Parliament has no foreign policy powers but sees itself as a champion of human rights.

"Those who are demonstrating today in the streets of Venezuela are not Europeans, but they fight for the same values for which we fight," Spanish centre-right EU politician Esteban Gonzalez Pons said in a statement.


Guaido said that this recognition by the European Parliament represented a "great step" towards the fight for democracy in Venezuela.

"We have taken a big step in our struggle for democracy!," Guaido wrote on Twitter.

"We appreciate the decision [taken by] the European Parliament [it] recognise[s] all the effort that we Venezuelans have put forward for the restitution of constitutional order in our country"


'Rupture of democracy'
As Venezuela sank into an economic and political crisis that brought mass emigration and hyperinflation, the EU imposed an arms embargo and sanctions on officials to decry what it views as rights violations and the rupture of democracy.

On Thursday, the Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists said seven foreign journalists had been detained in Venezuela, including French and Spanish reporters. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini called for their release.


Foreign ministers were due to discuss the crisis in Venezuela at a two-day meeting in Bucharest this week.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who spoke to Guaido by telephone on Wednesday, said the bloc should consider more asset freezes and travel bans on Venezuelan officials.

"Targeted sanctions against the kleptocrats who have enriched themselves on the back of the rest of the population who are very poor, that is something I think can be effective," Hunt said in a Foreign and Commonwealth Office statement



Cc lalasticlala
Mynd44
Dominique

Hope Pmb and the likes of Shehu his spokesman are Watching

the largest fuel deposits in the world is Venezuela and it is practically broke.mehn! this is serious even Zimbabwe has a better hope

Signs of what may happen in Nigeria.

Buhari should note this

With such precedence Buhari is finished his plans to use Inec and military to suppress free and fair elections seems to be in some trouble ... For four years Buhari instead of Buhari to work he went about killing and plundering the economy and practicing primitive nepotism in the hope that in 2019 he will just announce false results and roll the military but suddenly the plan is looking shaky

Expect the coward Tinubu to start playing safe soon so as to safeguard his international investments

SalamRushdie:
With such precedence Buhari is finished his plans to use Inec and military to suppress free and fair elections seems to be in some trouble ... For four years Buhari instead of Buhari to work he went about killing and plundering the economy and practicing primitive nepotism in the hope that in 2019 he will just announce false results and roll the military but suddenly the plan is looking shaky

Buhari will know what’s up if he rigs the presidential election next month .

Reading through this, my mind kept whispering Buhari to my spirit.

It's getting interesting.
Let's see how Trump's US+Europe will play against Russia+China.

Always interfering

The will of the citizens of the country will STAND at last.

That is all that matters.

[color=#770077][/color]

Anything US says must stand.... Even the Russian apologists know this......

This is getting more interesting.

Maduro ( dont wait) should vacates peacefully.

This is how evil doers divides countries

I hope buhari is watching. If you do anyhow you go see anyhow


enough said

.

I think its high time Nicolas Maduro succumb to the opposition to allow peace to reign.power is not a do or die affair.

Maduro should step down asap. Russia and US will always be on different sides of the divide, no matter what the problem is.



I hope Buhari and APC are watching what is happening in Venezuela incase they are planning to rig this election?

This is a message to a particular country

MajorJeffery:
It's getting interesting.
Let's see how Trump's US+Europe will play against Russia+China.

That is just the interesting part

MajorJeffery:
It's getting interesting.
Let's see how Trump's US+Europe will play against Russia+China.

My dear, this is something every rational leader must avoid.
You don't let these external actors run your country because they can mess up your country if you give them the room to.

Whenever I remember what has become of Libya today as against what it used to be, I feel bad. I just hope the oldie in Aso Rock is watching.

baralatie:
the largest fuel deposits in the world is Venezuela and it is practically broke.mehn! this is serious even Zimbabwe has a better hope

Bad Government policies and corruption. Nigeria is only "better" because it is not a socialist Republic.

Na the small private sector de try help Naija.

MajorJeffery:
It's getting interesting.
Let's see how Trump's US+Europe will play against Russia+China.

China gives loans to countries and hope they don't pay back, so it takes over their assets. Sri Lanka, Greece, Djoubuti, Maldives etc have already gone down that road.

USA doesnt want China to take over Venezuela's assets cos that country owns China at least $35B.

Russia is also struggling to get a deal and protect its investments and loans before Venezuela defaults.

Na dog-eat-dog matter at the moment

Mohomodu Buhary, take note

bedspread:
Hope Pmb and the likes of Shehu his spokesman are Watching

I hope so too.

baralatie:
the largest fuel deposits in the world is Venezuela and it is practically broke.mehn! this is serious even Zimbabwe has a better hope

The EU monsters just want total control of Venezuelan crude oil

BabaIbo:
This is a message to a particular country

NIG and Jubril

All these people shouting buhari up and down need brain activator, you think the us and EU don't know how corrupt you government officials are, most especially the atikulooters, ganging up as usual to resumed phantom looting , atiku there is no doubt he is conspicuously corrupt, his fans will never deny this, obasanjo is Lucifer disciples, someone you outrightly condemn and make a you turn to sell same vampire to Nigerians, definitely buhari is doing something right, Ty danjuma because of his oil field wants to turn the country to religion battle field,