Caracas Venezuela.- Several Venezuelan opposition leaders have praised the presence of Leonel Fernandez in the South American country, to participate as an observer of the electoral process which will take place this Sunday, July 28.
Former Dominican President, Leonel Fernandez, is located in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, at the invitation of the National Electoral Council from that country to participate as international observer of the processtogether with former presidents Ernesto Samper of Colombia and José Rodríguez Zapatero of Spain.
Since their arrival in the country last Wednesday, Fernández and the other former presidents have made joint and individual visits to opposition leaders and to the different presidential candidates, including Nicolás Maduro, current president of the nation, and the opposition presidential candidates, Edmundo González, Antonio Ecarri, Luis Eduardo Martínez, José Brito, Benjamín Rausseo, among other leaders, among whom is Timoteo Zambrano, deputy and Secretary General of Cambiemos Citizen Movement.
Following his visits, opposition leaders have posted on social media posts highlighting Leonel Fernández’s presence in the country, describing it as positive.
Presidential candidate Edmundo González responded on X to a post by Leonel Fernández, in which the Venezuelan opposition leader thanked the former Dominican president for what he described as a “frank and fruitful conversation.”
Presidential candidate Antonio Ecarri wrote on X: “Important meeting with our friends former Presidents Ernesto Samper and Leonel Fernández, international observers of the election this #28J. More integration is more Democracy! Welcome!”
The deputy to the National Assembly of Venezuela, Juan Pablo Guanipa, one of the main leaders of the Venezuelan opposition, after holding a meeting with Leonel Fernández, also used his account on the social network X (JuanPGuanipa), to comment that Leonel Fernández very respectfully paid attention to him, while the deputy told him, “that his role as international observer is fundamental to achieve, not only that everything develops satisfactorily, but also to help, with his relationship with the government of Nicolás Maduro, so that what is an evident aspiration and decision of the Venezuelan people, can be realized with the acceptance of the results.”
Deputy Guanipa thanked Leonel Fernández for his willingness to be there, reiterating that: “his role could be very useful for respecting the popular will.”
Leonel Fernández has more than 25 years of experience in electoral mediation and observation work, to which the Organization of American States, OAS, has sent him as head of its election observation teams in Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela and Mexico. UNASUR also sent him as its head of observation in Venezuela.
As a mediator, in coordination with the Carter Center, headed by former US President Jimmy Carter, he was appointed to deal with the issue of the coup against President Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. Also, when the United States of America, under President Barack Obama, wanted to reestablish diplomatic relations with Cuba, he was contacted for this mission.
He was the mediator in the conflict between Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, at the Rio Group Summit, held in 2008, in the Dominican Republic, during his second term.
He went to Honduras during a coup d’état against President Manuel Zelaya, returning with him to Santo Domingo, where he remained as a political refugee for several years.
On this occasion, he was invited, along with other former presidents, by the National Electoral Council of Venezuela to observe the presidential elections to be held this Sunday, July 28. Since his arrival in Venezuela, he has held meetings with the authorities and opposition candidates.
His recognition has been made evident throughout the American continent, where political and economic leaders and civil society come to analyze specific events and the future prospects of the region.
