OAS ignores Nicolás Maduro; Ecuador gave its vote for resolution

Ecuadornews:

The international community emphasizes its rejection of the second term of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) approved a resolution to declare illegitimate the new presidential term of Maduro, who took office yesterday in Caracas.

The resolution had 19 votes in favor, 6 against, 8 abstentions and one absence.

Declares “the illegitimacy of the new period of Nicolás Maduro, which began on January 10”; “Calls for the holding of new presidential elections with all the guarantees necessary for a free, fair, transparent and legitimate process”; and urges the Maduro government to allow the “immediate entry of humanitarian aid for the people of Venezuela, including epidemiological surveillance to prevent the aggravation of the humanitarian and public health crisis.”

The OAS Secretary General, Luis Almagro, celebrated the decision. “The people of #Venezuela are not alone, we are still working to recover democracy, rights and freedoms,” he wrote on Twitter.

Among the countries that voted in favor were: Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Honduras, United States, Canada, Guyana, Saint Lucia, Panama, Costa Rica, Peru, Guatemala, Paraguay, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Ecuador, Haiti.

Against Dominica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Venezuela.

They abstained: Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, El Salvador, Saint Kits and Nevis.

Absent: Granada.

On the eve of this meeting, on Wednesday, President Lenin Moreno announced that he would not send any delegate to Maduro’s possession.

He argued that “the international protection of human rights is a legal and ethical obligation. It is not an intervention in internal affairs of other countries, “and recalled that a minister of Maduro proffered insults against him by versions regarding the migration of Venezuelan citizens to the country.

While Paraguay broke diplomatic relations with Venezuela. “I have arranged the closure of the embassy and the immediate withdrawal of diplomatic personnel” from Caracas, said its president, Mario Abdo.

Abdo made reference to the declaration of the Group of Lima signed last week by 13 Latin American countries, in which they urge Maduro to temporarily transfer power to Parliament until “new democratic presidential elections are held.”

Also the European Union (EU) questioned Maduro yesterday. “The EU deeply regrets that (…) President Maduro undertakes a new mandate on the basis of undemocratic elections,” said the head of European diplomacy, Federica Mogherini, in a statement on behalf of the 28 countries of the EU

The bloc had called to hold a new presidential election, but believes that after the takeover, “the possibility of a negotiated constitutional solution” is further away.

Reactions on the vote of Ecuador

José Valencia Amores, Chancellor of Ecuador:

“The OAS resolution has as its central merit the fact of advocating for a democratic decision of the Venezuelan people regarding their future, which is something that Ecuador has supported, on what President Lenin Moreno and the Government have already stated last year, when he called for, to endorse those presidential elections in May, there is a popular pronouncement. “

Mauricio Gándara, excanciller of Ecuador:

“This should make Ecuador very happy, we have been clamoring for Ecuador to adopt a joint attitude with the other OAS countries. Ecuador was reluctant to do so in the past, barely less than a year, through the ex-chancellor (Ma. Fernanda) Espinosa (…). If you have already declared it illegitimate, you can no longer maintain a normal diplomatic relationship; the consular relationship is something else … “

René Yandún Pozo, Assemblyman:

“It is the position that Ecuador must adopt, we are not an island; In addition, we are a very small country and we need integration with countries that are open to comply with the commitments, treaties and agreements of democracy. I believe that the decision is timely because it is for the benefit of Latin America’s democracy and perhaps the ultimate destruction of Socialism of the XXI Century. “

Carlos Estarellas Velásquez, diplomat

“Ecuador’s position is ambiguous, because the president (Lenin) Moreno comes out to say that no delegation will go to Venezuela and that Venezuela’s problem can only be fixed by Venezuelans. Then there is the resolution of the OAS in which Ecuador votes in favor, but on Twitter the chancellor has said that Ecuador will not have a rupture of relations with the government of (Nicolás) Maduro. ” (I)

Source: https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/2019/01/11/nota/7132436/oea-desconoce-maduro-ecuador-dio-su-voto