MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lula suggests new elections for Venezuela; Machado opposes

Maduro knows he owes an explanation to society and to the world, Lula said

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Thursday suggested Venezuela should hold fresh elections to solve the controversy stemming from the July 28 polls the National Electoral Council (CNE) said were won by incumbent President Nicolás Maduro without showing any evidence, while the opposition maintains Edmundo González Urrutia triumphed by a landslide.

“He knows he owes an explanation to society and to the world,” Lula said after calling Maduro to produce the minutes to a “reliable” body. However, disenfranchised opposition leader María Corina Machado argued that Lula's proposal would be tantamount to turning the back on the Venezuelan people who have already spoken.

Lula insisted he “still does not recognize” Maduro's victory and suggested the regime should organize new elections. ”Maduro still has six months left in office. He is the president regardless of the elections. If he has good sense, he could try to make a call to the people of Venezuela, maybe even call for an electoral program, establish criteria for the participation of all candidates (...), and let observers from all over the world go to watch the elections,“ Lula explained in a radio interview.

The opposition cried ”fraud“ after July 28. So far at least 25 people have been killed in the ensuing protests, 192 others were injured and over 2,400 have been arrested.

The CNE has not yet published the details of each voting table, citing a ”cyber-terrorist attack“ which the Carter Center and other observers dismiss.

Lula also admitted that Brazil's ties with Venezuela were deteriorating in the current scenario: ”I have had relations with Venezuela since I took office in 2002, I had many relations with [Hugo] Chávez [...]. And this relationship has deteriorated because the political situation there is deteriorating in Venezuela,“ he stressed.

Maduro ruled out any negotiations with Machado, who also rejected Lula's idea which she claimed was ”disrespectful“ while pledging to fight until the Chavist leader recognized ”that he lost.“ Lula's plan was reportedly endorsed by Colombian President Gustavo Petro and these two countries plus Mexico try to position themselves as mediators between Chavismo and the opposition.

”It is going to a second election, if he does not like the results, is it going to a third? A fourth? A fifth until Maduro likes the results?,“ Machado argued.

”To disregard what happened on July 28 is a lack of respect to Venezuelans who have given everything and who expressed popular sovereignty. Sovereignty is respected, and the elections have already taken place,” she added ahead of Aug. 17's ecumenical protest.