Whether it is to divide the investiture partners or because of the real commitment of the Popular Party (PP) to the situation in Venezuela, those of Alberto Núñez Feijóo have succeeded. This Wednesday, Genoa managed to gather the necessary support for the Congress of Deputies to consider the non-legal proposal that envisages recognizing the Venezuelan opponent. Edmundo Gonzalez as the elected president of the Latin American country.
He did so thanks to the “yes” of his 137 deputies, as well as that of the 33 from Vox, the Popular Union of Navarro (UPN), another from the Canarian Coalition (CC) and the five from the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV). In fact, the latter brought forward their favorable vote on the morning of this Tuesday, considering that “a dictator like Maduro cannot win today’s vote,” said Aitor Esteban. Of course, after having himself accused the Popular Party a few weeks ago that Venezuela “it doesn’t matter”.
Although he left the investiture bloc, Esteban admitted to understanding the position of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jose Manuel Albaresand therefore that of the central government, when it comes to avoid interrupting the conversation with the government of self-proclaimed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, with the Spanish.
In fact, already during the debate this Tuesday afternoon, he warned that “what the opposition wants is this recognition, but What could be produced in this room is a political question and moral, but without legal effects.” “Only the government could do that,” he stressed.
This does not seem to bother the parliamentary spokesperson of the PP, Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo, who, during the plenary session on Tuesday, criticized the fact that “at the same time that Edmundo is being stripped, Zapatero is being made a hero who has an intimate relationship with Maduro.” Something that, according to him, offers “oxygen to the dictatorship.”
And in this illegal proposal, the PP not only includes the demand that the Spanish government recognize Edmundo González Urrutia as the winner and new president of the country on January 10, but also exposes as a criticism the “silence” of the former socialist president based on his participation in mediation tasks between the Spanish executive and the Maduro regime. Extreme that on this occasion Albares’ portfolio denied Since González Urrutia arrived last Sunday in Spain.
This is precisely the role of the former president of the socialist government in this affair, one of the issues that the socialist group tried to change through an amendment. In this amendment, it was asked “recognize all the mediation work of President Zapatero”but also to remove the recognition of González as president-elect in exchange for simple support by giving him political asylumThe popular people, unsurprisingly, rejected it, calling it “indecent.”
The ERC deputy in Congress, Gabriel Rufián, announced that his group would vote against, but did not hesitate to also attack the socialists: “Gentlemen of the PSOE, you can reject Maduro, disagree, but leave space in this country for the entire party. The Venezuelan ultra-coup opposition “as if you didn’t do it,” the Republican stressed as a warning from the podium of the Lower House. Terms similar to those used by other groups such as Podemos, as well as Nestor Rego, of the BNG. All of them advanced their vote against.
Those who have not advanced their vote, since they do not want to exercise it, are the seven deputies of Junts per Catalunya. All of them left the Congress of Deputies during the government control session this Wednesday to return to Catalonia and thus be able to participate in the mobilizations called with reason for the Diada.
Thus, with the vote in favour of the PNV for the PP proposal and the rejection of the PSOE amendment, The government is not carrying out its intentions and loses another battle against Feijóo’s team. Despite of course the fact that his coalition partners, the Sumar formation, also announced on the morning of this Tuesday that his deputies will vote against of what the popular ones offer.
His spokesman in the Lower House, Iñigo Errejón, assured that the recognition of González Urrutia would create “a very dangerous precedent” and therefore, until they see the electoral results, they maintain, like the EU, that “no one can be recognized.” Similar terms used by Aina Vidal, who also accused the PP because “once again, it uses a country to drag it on the ground.”
Meanwhile, socialist MP Cristina Narbona addressed the popular group to ask them “not to make people believe that their recognition would make Maduro disappear”, because “Things don’t work that way.” He then recalled “the experience with [el expresidente interino venezolano Juan] Guaidó that we recognized and had no authority.” It was suggested that sources from Moncloa had already been ahead of LaSexta in the morning.
In fact, the executive of Pedro Sánchez assured that, for the moment, it would not recognize Edmundo González as the winner of the elections in Venezuela. Since the position of the government is to “maintain a unanimous position with the 27 countries of the EU”, stressed the spokesperson Pilar Alegría at the press conference that followed the Council of Ministers. Problem that has returned to repeats the president of the government, Pedro Sánchezfrom China, as well as Patxi Lopez upon her arrival at the control session this Wednesday.
A position which consists of “request a report and transparency” to the Maduro government. “This is what we have been defending since July 29,” Alegría said, while accusing the PP of presenting the proposal with “a clear objective of division, ignoring the position of the EU.”
There are, however, points of agreement between the socialist amendment and the popular proposal of non-law. Specifically, in demanding that the Maduro regime immediately end the repression, as well as in support the emergence of the Carter Center to detail his conclusions on the elections. Likewise, Sánchez also announced that upon his return from his tour of the Asian country, he would meet with the opponent that Nearly a thousand people have given him their support in the Plaza de las Cortés in Madrid.
There they had been summoned by the leader of the coalition that sought to seize power from Maduro, María Corina Machado, and even one of the daughters of his candidate, Carolina GonzálezShe did so with the support of the former mayor of Caracas, also in exile, Antonio Ledezma, and Leopoldo López, as well as part of the hard core of Genova.
