Norway’s foreign minister has called on Venezuelan authorities to submit all figures so they can be independently verified and to immediately cease all political violence against the people who decided to go out to protest.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide expressed his deep concern about the situation in Venezuela following the elections on Sunday 28 July and called on “the Venezuelan authorities to present all the figures on which the election results they have published are based, so that they can be independently verified. Only then will we finally have clarity about who won the elections.”
Norway, facilitating country of the Barbados Agreement, through a press release published on Saturday, August 2 in the your government’s website took a position on the acts of violence that have occurred in Venezuela, especially on the increase in repression of protests and mass arrests of demonstrators.
“Any political violence is unacceptable and must cease immediately. The right of the Venezuelan people to peaceful protest must be respected and it is vital that security forces exercise restraint. Norway expects the rights of everyone in the country to be respected. The tense situation in Venezuela can only be resolved if the country’s leaders put the interests of the population first,” said Minister Eide.
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“International election observers have raised legitimate questions about whether the elections were conducted in accordance with international standards,” the foreign minister added.
The statement said: “For several years, Norway has been a facilitator of the peace process in Venezuela, responding to requests from both the Venezuelan government and the opposition. In October 2023, the parties signed the Barbados Agreement, which set out the conditions and procedures for holding presidential elections. Norway has consistently encouraged the parties to comply with their agreements.”
Eide stressed that “the Venezuelan government’s willingness to hold elections in accordance with international standards comes with an obligation. Respect for democratic norms is a prerequisite for lasting peace and stability. We hope that the Venezuelan authorities will honour the commitments agreed upon and respect the will of the Venezuelan people.”
He added that the tense situation within Venezuela “can only be resolved if the country’s leaders put the interests of the population first.”
The Norwegian foreign minister noted that it is “encouraging to see that so many Latin American countries have clearly expressed the same views; specifically, that all vote counts must be made public and verified before it can be established who won. This is the clearly expressed will of a region that has experienced much and seeks to defend democracy and the principles of the rule of law.”
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