The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, assured this Thursday, September 3, that the United States does not lend legitimacy to “another electoral fraud” by the Nicolas Maduro regime in Venezuela, about the government invitation to the UN and the European Union to observe the legislative elections.
“We, and our democratic partners in Venezuela, and the international community will not contribute to legitimize another electoral fraud carried out by the Maduro regime,” he stated in a statement.
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In the text, he also referred to the recent release of demonstrators, politicians, and journalists in Venezuela by Maduro through a pardon he seemingly negotiated with two former opposition politicians, Stalin Gonzalez and Henrique Capriles, in exchange of support for the December 6 elections. Pompeo maintained that there are still hundreds of political prisoners.
“The announcement by Maduro’s regime of the conditional dismissal of the criminal charges against approximately one-third of the political prisoners does not resolve, nor even address, the underlying political crisis in Venezuela,” he said.
Pompeo stated there are no conditions for free and fair elections in Venezuela. He emphasized that the liberation of political prisoners does not change that.
“Many political opponents of the regime are still forbidden to run for public office and continue to lack political rights. The illegally appointed National Electoral Commission remains under the strict control of the regime, a fact that will become critical because complex registration processes are in their hands. Freedom of the press does not exist. Freedom of expression does not exist. Freedom of assembly does not exist,” Pompeo stated.
