Following a controversial election in Venezuela, bipartisan voices from the US House of Representatives are rising to challenge what they see as a mockery of democratic processes under the regime of Nicolás Maduro. Reps. Ruben Gallego (AZ-03) and Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) co-authored a letter to President Biden calling for a clear condemnation of these elections and the implementation of fresh sanctions against the Venezuelan government. The election, as per their statement, fell short of being either free or fair, setting an alarming disregard for the 'Barbados Agreement', which aimed to stimulate Venezuela’s complicity by easing oil sanctions for the promise of democratic elections.
The lawmakers argue that the Venezuelan government, led by Maduro, utilized intimidation, manipulation, and physical barriers to unfairly influence the outcome of what should have been a democratic process. “As you know, Venezuelans bravely went to the polls over the weekend to have their voices heard, despite threats of violence from the brutal, Socialist Maduro regime,” the Members wrote. They criticized the handling of the election, detailing failures to properly tally all votes, the strategic blocking of access to voting locations, and the use of street checkpoints to limit the mobility of voters.
Representatives Gallego and Malliotakis expressed their disappointment towards the dissolution of the 'Barbados Agreement', highlighting that the agreement was broken single-handedly by the Maduro regime. In their letter, they continued, “We, therefore, call on you to impose new sanctions and to take additional steps with the international community to support the Venezuelan people. We remain heartened by the courage they show in their quest for democracy.” This plea underscores the escalating concern in the US Congress about the state of affairs in Venezuela and the international implications of the country’s current leadership.
Earlier in the week, Rep. Gallego joined a group of colleagues from both political aisles in a statement to openly condemn the presidential election engineered by the Maduro regime. The call to action appears to be gathering momentum as US politicians from across the political spectrum begin to collectively voice their disapproval and push for a stronger stance to be urgently taken. It remains to be seen how the Biden administration will respond to these appeals in the face of international political pressure and the Venezuelan public's clear yearning for genuine democratic governance.
