TOKYO: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for all parties in Venezuela to “respect the democratic process” in an election on Sunday, speaking less than an hour before polls open.
“The Venezuelan people deserve an election that genuinely reflects their will, free from any manipulation. The international community is going to be watching this very closely. We urge all parties to honor their commitments and to respect the democratic process,” Blinken told reporters in Japan.
Venezuelans will vote between continuity in President Nicolas Maduro or change in rival Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia amid high tension following the incumbent’s threat of a “bloodbath” if he loses, which polls suggest is likely.
Maduro, who is seeking a third six-year term at the helm of the once wealthy South American petro-state, is accused of locking up critics and harassing the opposition in a climate of rising authoritarianism.
Blinken said the election is a “pivotal event at a pivotal time given the severe political, economic and humanitarian crises the country faces.”
Washington is keen, as is Caracas, for an easing of punitive measures against Venezuela’s critical but severely weakened oil sector at a time of great pressure on crude prices with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Venezuela has also been a major source of migration pressure on the southern US border, a situation experts say will only worsen in the event of a post-election political crisis.
The United States has insisted that the lifting of sanctions depends on a fair vote.
US’s Blinken calls on Venezuela parties to ‘respect democratic process’ in vote
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US’s Blinken calls on Venezuela parties to ‘respect democratic process’ in vote
- Washington is keen, as is Caracas, for an easing of punitive measures against Venezuela’s critical but severely weakened oil sector at a time of great pressure on crude prices with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East
US might keep or might sell oil seized near Venezuela, Trump says
- “If he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’s ever able to play tough,” he said
PALM BEACH, Florida: US President Donald Trump said on Monday it would be smart for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to leave power, and the United States could keep or sell the oil it had seized off the coast of Venezuela in recent weeks.
Trump’s pressure campaign on Maduro has included a ramped-up military presence in the region and more than two dozen military strikes on vessels allegedly trafficking drugs in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea near the South American nation. At least 100 people have been killed in the attacks.
Asked if the goal was to force Maduro from power, Trump told reporters: “Well, I think it probably would... That’s up to him what he wants to do. I think it’d be smart for him to do that. But again, we’re gonna find out.”
“If he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’s ever able to play tough,” he said.
“He’s no friend to the United States. He’s very bad. Very bad guy. He’s gotta watch his ass because he makes cocaine and they send it into the US“
In addition to the strikes, Trump has previously announced a “blockade” of all oil tankers under sanctions entering and leaving Venezuela. The US Coast Guard started pursuing an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela on Sunday, in what would be the second such operation this weekend and the third in less than two weeks if successful.
“Maybe we will sell it, maybe we will keep it,” Trump said when asked what would happen with the seized oil, adding it might also be used to replenish the United States’ strategic reserves.
