President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Starting with one of his allies, the Brazilian president expressed concern when he said that he was frightened when dictator Maduro said that if he loses Sunday’s elections there will be “a bloodbath,” in an attempt to provoke anxiety and abstention among those who advocate removing him from power. Lula warned that, in a democracy, “the one who loses gets a bath of votes, not a bloodbath” and that “Maduro has to learn that when you win you stay and when you lose you leave and prepare for other elections.”
Former Argentine President Alberto Fernandez
The former Argentine president, who will travel to Venezuela in the next few hours to act as an observer in the elections next Sunday, emphasized the importance of democratic coexistence in Venezuela and highlighted the need to allow the return of those who have left the country. He also sent a clear message to Nicolás Maduro: “If he is defeated, what he has to do is accept it.” “What I want is for there to be a transparent election. What Venezuela needs is to recover its democratic coexistence and those who are wandering around the world, because they left the country for whatever reason, can return,” he said. He highlighted what Lula said, “the one who wins, wins and the one who loses, loses” and added “Period. It’s over. That’s how democracy is. I’m not going to legalize anyone, but I’m going to do what they asked me to do, be an observer of the elections so that everything works well.”
Jorge Tuto Quiroga
The former president of Bolivia, Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, praised the position of President Lula da Silva, who told Maduro things that are elementary, but that in Venezuela have a high meaning: “the one who wins stays and the one who loses goes” and stressed that normally it is said: “the one who wins governs and the one who loses is the opposition.” He believes that the results will reflect the popular will. He hopes that they will be recognized, accepted and that a transition will be undertaken that will require a lot of international help and that is why he celebrated that States such as Brazil and Colombia are there, “that we can all give our grain of sand, this is the best tribute that we can offer to this Venezuelan people.”
Felipe Calderon
Former Mexican President Felipe Calderón also referred to what President Lula said and described it as very important. “It is actually a warning to Maduro: there is no support for a fraudulent election in Venezuela, much less for repression,” he stressed.
Vicente Fox
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox also applauded Lula Da Silva’s warning to dictator Maduro and his threat that there will be a bloodbath if he does not win the elections. “A brave statement by President Lula. Maduro is obliged to respect the election,” he said.
Mauricio Macri
Former Argentine President Mauricio Macri was emphatic in pointing out that dictator Nicolás Maduro committed crimes against humanity against his population, produced the greatest humanitarian crisis in history and took away all individual freedoms from Venezuelans. “Now he has the nerve to accuse Argentine President Javier Milei of wanting to undermine the democratic recovery in Venezuela,” he said. In addition, Macri added that “it is undeniable that Venezuela has already suffered too much, under a regime that ruined the economy and drove millions of Venezuelans into exile. Chavismo has systematically compromised its legitimacy to hold elections.” He asked the democratic leaders of the international community to remain vigilant, to ensure that the electoral process on July 28 is as transparent, fair and free of interference as possible. He expressed his full support to the Venezuelan people, so that they exercise their right to vote with courage and conviction. “As we have always done, we reiterate our support for the Venezuelan opposition ahead of the presidential elections.”
Andres Pastrana
Former Colombian President Andrés Pastrana called on Nicolás Maduro to respect the popular will expressed at the polls and urged the democratically elected presidents of the region to defend freedom and democracy. He stressed that the narco-dictatorship will do everything possible to ensure that the electoral process takes place. “The fraud is determined, but this is when Nicolás Maduro has to think about how many dead people he wants to bear on his conscience. Is he going to lead Venezuela into a civil war?” he asked finally.
Juan Guaidó
The former interim president of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó, pointed out that the “bloodbath” already exists, unfortunately. “Maduro has murdered young people protesting peacefully, tortured soldiers and civilians, simply for dissenting from his regime. In other words, we understand Maduro’s threat is serious, he has done it in the past. He advocated for the international community to be alert. He asked the Armed Forces to respect the result and the popular expression in Venezuela. Guaidó added that “we are not naive. We are not expecting good will from a dictatorship, but rather to exercise the most powerful tool that a people has, which is to impose its will with a majority, with force and open an opportunity for a peaceful transition,” he said.
Gonzalez Olaechea
Peru’s Foreign Minister González Olaechea strongly condemned recent statements by Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. He responded categorically to the autocrat: “Promising a bloodbath is a vile and public threat. If he proceeds like this, human justice will catch up with him and divine justice will be implacable.”
IACHR
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) condemned “the attack” reported this week by Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, and criticized President Nicolás Maduro for mentioning the possibility of “a bloodbath” and “a civil war” if he were to lose the election on Sunday, June 28. The IACHR and its Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression (RELE) warned in a statement about political persecution in Venezuela before the presidential election and urged the State to end the repression and guarantee a “free, competitive, and participatory” vote. Both organizations also accused President and reelection candidate Nicolás Maduro of trying to “intimidate and restrict the political freedom of the electorate” by publicly mentioning the possibility that the country could fall “into a bloodbath” if he does not win.
Florida Democrats
Florida Democrats also issued a statement condemning dictator Nicolas Maduro’s threats of “bloodshed.” “Maduro will do anything to stay in power, including intimidating and terrorizing Venezuelans,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried. “Threatening violence for losing an election is never acceptable.” “Maduro knows his chances of winning elections are at risk and that’s why he chooses to employ these fear tactics. His regime has harassed and arrested members of the opposition and done everything possible to prevent the more than seven million Venezuelans in exile from voting, many of whom fled due to his corruption.” “Once again, the Florida Democratic Party unequivocally condemns the abuses of the Maduro dictatorship and demands free and fair elections in Venezuela. Venezuelans deserve nothing less.”
Maria Elvira Salazar
Florida Republican Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar sent a warning to Nicolas Maduro ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for July 28 in Venezuela. Salazar said that Maduro “cannot steal the elections” from opposition leader Maria Corina Machado or the Venezuelan people. “We hope that on July 28, Maduro understands that he lost,” Salazar said, revealing that what happens in Venezuela will depend, to a large extent, on the message that comes out of the White House.
Santiago Abascal
The Spanish Congressman and leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal, said that the Venezuelan dictator, Maduro, whom he calls a tyrant, is planning an alleged electoral fraud for the presidential elections this Sunday, accompanied by “his henchmen” from the Sao Paulo Forum and the Puebla Group. However, he assured that there is no fraud that can stop the unprecedented mobilization for the freedom of Venezuelans. Along these lines, he praised the opposition leader María Corina Machado. “The fraud planned by the regime (of Maduro) is not going to prevent a new stage from opening in Venezuela… It will not be able to muzzle the living Venezuela for long,” Abascal stressed.
Edmundo Gonzalez
The presidential candidate of the Unitary Platform, Edmundo González, also thanked the words of the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in support of a peaceful and widely respected electoral process in Venezuela. “We greatly appreciate the presence of the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Celso Amorim, to observe the process next Sunday, July 28. The world is watching us and supporting us,” he said.
Maria Corina Machado
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado also took a stand on Maduro’s threats, saying that the dictator “no longer scares anyone” and added that “for there to be a war here there have to be enemies and there are no enemies here, we have managed to unite the country in a movement of redemption for liberation. I don’t know who they think they’re going to scare, they don’t scare anyone anymore,” she said.
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