MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

European Parliament says González Urrutia is Venezuela's President-elect

González Urrutia said he would continue to work for a democratic Venezuela from abroad and hoped to be back in his country in January for his intended inauguration

The European Parliament Thursday recognized Unitarian Democratic Platform (PUD) candidate Edmundo González Urrutia as the legitimate winner of Venezuela's July 28 controversial presidential elections at which the incumbent Nicolás Maduro claims to have prevailed. Strasbourg reached this decision with 309 votes in favor, 201 against and 12 abstentions. Disenfranchised politician María Corina Machado has also been recognized as leader of the democratic forces in Venezuela.

 The document endorsed chiefly by conservative and rightwing political parties fell short of becoming binding since it lacked the required majority. However, it urged the EU and its Member States to do “the maximum possible” so that González Urrutia can assume the Presidency of Venezuela next January 10, 2025.

It also made history because it was the first time in the current legislature that the European People's Party sided with rightwing forces instead of with social democrats, liberals, and greens.

The declaration underlined the EU's “respect for the will of the Venezuelan people, expressed in the elections,” and insisted that voting remained “the only way for Venezuela to restore democracy, allow for a peaceful and genuine transition and resolve the current humanitarian and socio-economic crisis.”

They EU also called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague to include ongoing human rights violations and arbitrary detentions in its investigations into alleged crimes against humanity committed by Maduro's regime.

In addition, the “immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and arbitrarily detained persons” was demanded from Caracas. Strasbourg also hailed the Spanish Government granting asylum to González Urrutia so as to keep him as a “viable” solution.

the EU's Parliament also asked the Union's High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, to reinstate sanctions against members of Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) and to further extend all measures previously adopted against members of the Chavista administration.

“If on January 10, 2025, there is no peaceful transfer of power and restoration of democracy, there will be a new migratory exodus to other countries in the region, similar to the one that has led nearly eight million Venezuelans to flee the country in recent years,” the MEPs warned.

Strasbourg's resolution goes one step farther than the Council of the European Union, whose foreign ministers handle the EU's foreign policy and who last month decided to recognize neither candidate's victory.

“As president-elect, I thank the European Parliament for this recognition that transcends me; it is the recognition of the sovereign will of the people of Venezuela and the thunderous voice of a majority that demands the truth be respected,” wrote González Urrutia on social media from Spain.

“I thank the representatives of the European Parliament for the discussion they have decided to give in this chamber on the serious situation Venezuela is going through,” he added. “The international community continues to increase its support to the sovereign will of our people. We are working without pause to enforce it!”

“What María Corina has done and continues to do from Venezuela in her capacity as a leader is a guarantee that, together with the commitment of the person who speaks here, our country will not suffer any damage, doubt or discouragement, despite all the obstacles, despite all the terrors, despite all the risks of seeking until the very end a peaceful solution to the Venezuelan crisis, with political guarantees for all,” the retired diplomat also pointed out.

“The European Parliament recognizes Edmundo González Urrutia as president-elect of Venezuela. Thank you, Europe!” Machado posted on X.

The PUD claimed Gonzalez Urrutia had won as minutes from 83.5% of polling stations published on the Internet, but the Bolivarian administration contended that those documents were fake despite organizations such as The Carter Center saying otherwise, and relied instead on an unsupported CNE declaration upheld by a Spreme Court ruling also with no documentatation backing it up.