Lula Finally Speaks Out Against Maduro, Suggests the Country Hold New Elections

Following a meeting with Colombia’s Gustavo Petro, President Lula claims he no longer recognizes the results of Venezuela’s elections, and is suggesting that the country hold new elections.The Colombian and Brazilian heads of state met over the phone on Wednesday, and insisted that the publication of the election minutes by President Maduro is the way forward for Venezuela. The Brazilian president, a long-time supporter of the Venezuelan dictator, has reversed his previous position of being “convinced” that the country’s election procedure was “normal.” Mr. Lula said he does not “yet” recognize Mr. Maduro’s supposed victory as legitimate, saying that the Venezuelan president “knows that he owes some explanations to society, to Venezuela, to the world. He knows that.”He also suggested that Mr. Maduro must find a way to “make an appeal to the Venezuelan people” if he has any “common sense.”Mr. Maduro could “even call for new elections,” he said, and “establish a criterion for the participation of all candidates, create a nonpartisan electoral committee in which everyone can participate, and let scouts from all over the world come in.”Until today, Mr. Lula’s responses to Venezuela’s elections have been lukewarm, and well behind many of his fellow South American heads of state, like Chile’s Gabriel Boric, who questioned the results from the outset.Mr. Lula’s previous responses have been to nonchalantly call for Mr. Maduro to publish the election minutes, which he promised to do weeks ago. Mr. Maduro and Venezuela’s Electoral Council “must present the data,” he said when asked about the election results. “The data must be presented by something trustworthy,” Mr. Lula said. “The National Electoral Council, which has people from the opposition, could do that. However, he did not send it to them, but sent it to his Supreme Court.”The Brazilian head of state said that he wants to preserve his relationship with the South American country, and claims this is why he has not denounced the elections earlier.“I don’t want to behave in an impassioned and hasty manner, I want results,” he said, speaking about the election data. “I have had a relationship with Venezuela since 2003, when I first took office, and it has deteriorated because the political situation there is deteriorating.”This is Mr. Lula’s third term in office, having previously held the presidency between 2003 and 2011. Brazil’s constitution does not allow for a third successive term, but allows incumbents to be re-elected after one term out of office.In July 2017, Mr. Lula was tried, convicted, and imprisoned on corruption and money laundering charges in the Brazilian Federal Police’s Operation Lava Jato. Numerous countries have condemned Mr. Maduro’s efforts to retain power, with the dictator arresting unknown numbers of political dissidents and refusing to publish the election minutes. An United Nations panel also condemns the results, saying the electoral process, conducted by the country’s Electoral Council, “fell short of the basic transparency and integrity measures that are essential to holding credible elections.”At least 25 people have been reported dead in the violent aftermath of the July 28 elections.

Lula Finally Speaks Out Against Maduro, Suggests the Country Hold New Elections

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