Spain, France and Germany launched towards the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, an eight-day ultimatum to call elections in the Andean country, or otherwise recognize the opposition leader Juan Guaidó as president to begin the process. “If in eight days there are no fair, free and transparent elections in Venezuela, Spain will recognize Juan Guaidó as Venezuelan president,” the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, announced on Saturday through a television message.
España tiene una responsabilidad con América Latina. Muchos lazos nos unen. Traslado el sincero compromiso de mi Gobierno con el pueblo y el futuro de Venezuela. Y la confianza en que será con el retorno de la democracia como Venezuela encontrará la salida a esta grave crisis. pic.twitter.com/iMiG7KXCBG
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) 26 de enero de 2019
Sánchez reiterated the Spanish commitment to the Venezuelan people. “Spain will always be with Venezuela, Spain will always be with the Ibero-American community,” stressed the president, and recalled that the international community did not recognize the elections last May on which the presidency of Maduro is based.
Venezuela must speak for itself .
Meanwhile, the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, as well as the spokesman of the government of Germany, Steffan Seibert, and the deputy spokeswoman, Martina Fietz, expressed their position in their respective Twitter accounts, the same one exposed by the president of the Spanish government.
El pueblo venezolano debe poder decidir libremente su futuro. Sin elecciones anunciadas en 8 días, podriamos reconocer a @jguaido como « Presidente encargado » de Venezuela para implementar dicho proceso político. Trabajamos conjuntamente con nuestros aliados europeos. https://t.co/9RkwF0IamF
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) 26 de enero de 2019
“The Venezuelan people must be able to freely decide their future. Without elections in eight days, we could recognize @jguaido as ‘president in charge’ of Venezuela to implement this political process. We work together with our European allies. “
Germany is not neutral.
The German spokesman announced on Friday that the government of Berlin would recognize Guaidó if elections were not immediately called, while Foreign Minister Heijo Maas said that Germany is not neutral in the face of the Venezuelan crisis if it is not next to Guaidó.
Macht Maduro nicht umgehend den Weg zu glaubwürdigen Neuwahlen frei, sind wir bereit, Juan Guaidó als Interimspräsidenten anzuerkennen, damit er diesen Prozess einleitet. Die Nationalversammlung ist die einzige demokratisch legitimierte Vertretung des venezolanischen Volkes.
— Heiko Maas (@HeikoMaas) 26 de enero de 2019
“If Maduro does not immediately open the way to credible new elections, we are ready to recognize Juan Guaidó as interim President, to begin this process. The National Assembly is the only democratically legitimized representation of the Venezuelan people.”
