Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, the governments of Brazil and Colombia, led by Lula and Petro, issued a joint statement demanding the publication of the voting records.
The presidents of Brazil and Colombia, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Gustavo Petro, insisted on the need to disseminate the electoral records “broken down by voting table”, following the endorsement of the victory of Nicolás Maduro by the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) of Venezuela.
This Saturday, August 24, the broadcast was joint declaration from the foreign ministries of Colombia and Brazil. “Both presidents remain convinced that the credibility of the electoral process can only be restored through the transparent publication of disaggregated and verifiable data,” the document says.
Joint declaration of Brazil and Colombiahttps://t.co/rTD3rvmaAl pic.twitter.com/6h9xcoqctj
— Colombian Foreign Ministry (@CancilleriaCol) August 24, 2024
The leaders also maintain that “the political normalization of Venezuela requires the recognition that there is no lasting alternative to peaceful dialogue and democratic coexistence in diversity.” These statements come after telephone conversations held by both leaders between August 23 and August 24.
They say they have taken “note” of the TSJ’s decision on the electoral process and emphasize that they are still awaiting the publication of the minutes broken down by voting table from July 28 by the National Electoral Council (CNE).
They also point out that “as neighboring countries directly interested in the stability of Venezuela” and “witnesses of the Barbados Agreements,” the nations maintain open channels of communication with both parties and “reiterate their willingness to facilitate understanding between them.”
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Finally, the statement also rejects “the continued application of unilateral sanctions as an instrument of pressure,” as both sides maintain that such measures “are contrary to international law and harm the population of the sanctioned countries.”
In the document, the leaders urge those involved to “avoid resorting to acts of violence and repression.”
The joint statement comes after the High Representative for Foreign Policy of the European Union, Josep Borrell, assured on August 24 that they will only accept and recognize results of the presidential elections that are “complete and independently verifiable.”
The EU also noted that Venezuelan authorities had not provided “the public evidence necessary to evaluate the electoral process in accordance with the standards indicated by the United Nations (UN) Panel of Experts.”
On August 23, 11 countries in the Americas issued a joint statement in which they categorically reject the ruling of the Electoral Chamber of the TSJ. The signatory countries were Argentina, the United States, Paraguay, Uruguay, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Chile, Guatemala, Panama, Peru and the Dominican Republic.
