On the situation in Venezuela

D.whereas Maduro and the government also called for people to mobilise in support of Maduro’s victory and against foreign interference in the electoral process;

E.whereas the CNE published a second electoral report on 2 August 2024 confirming Maduro’s victory in the presidential election, stating that he obtained 51.95 % of the votes, with almost 97 % of the votes counted;

F.whereas the opposition has published online the electoral records in their possession, claiming victory;

H.whereas the Supreme Court of Venezuela has confirmed the result issued by the CNE, following proceedings on alleged electoral fraud;

J.whereas an arrest warrant was issued against the opposition candidate González, who took refuge in the Spanish embassy, left Venezuela and was granted political asylum by the Spanish government;

K.whereas more than 2 400 people have been arrested since 29 July 2024 and 23 people have been killed in the riots that followed the election;

1.Expresses deep concern about the situation of instability and tension that has been created in Venezuela in the aftermath of the vote, the deaths and arrests resulting from the tensions and the repression by the state authorities, the risk of a resurgence of political violence and repression in the country, and the potential violations of human rights; calls for acts of violence not to be given impunity and for the processes of accountability and justice to prevail;

2.Calls on the Venezuelan authorities to fully respect human and political rights, as established by the Venezuelan Constitution and the international conventions of which Venezuela is a signatory;

3.Stresses that Article 155 of Venezuela’s law on electoral processes requires the CNE to publish all the results from all polling stations within 30 days; regrets that this has not yet been done, fuelling doubts about the election results;

4.Agrees with the positions expressed by the governments of Brazil, Mexico and Colombia and joins them in requesting that the CNE and the Venezuelan authorities do everything in their power to provide maximum transparency on the election result by publishing all the election records; calls on the Venezuelan authorities to publish all the electoral records as soon as possible, in accordance with the Venezuelan constitution and electoral law;

5.Stresses that the policy of external interference in Venezuelan political processes, such as the recognition of Juan Guaidó and the imposition of sanctions, has contributed to exacerbating tensions and encouraging the radicalisation of political conflict in Venezuela; recalls that the EU’s position in the past has raised false expectations among the Venezuelan people and has reduced the likelihood of an agreement for democratic and political normalisation in Venezuela;

6.Expresses concern about the role played by foreign communication and social network operators in Venezuela in the dissemination of fake news and hate messages;

7.Calls for the release of all those who were detained following the recent riots and for the immediate opening of a dialogue that will lead to reconciliation and a reduction in tensions in Venezuelan society; calls on the Member States to contribute to a resolution of the political, social and economic crisis which Venezuela is experiencing;

8.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of Venezuela.