Defense Minister Margarita Robles refused Wednesday to repeat in Parliament that Venezuela is a “dictatorship,” as she stressed less than two weeks ago during the presentation of a book.
Robles was questioned by the Popular Party during the plenary session of the Congress of Deputies. Faced with the question, which he intended to ask with the rest of the ministers, who have avoided criticizing these days Nicolas MaduroThe head of defense resorted to evasion to avoid repeating his own statements.
In the middle of his speech, cries of “coward” were heard from the opposition benches. Faced with the noise and protests generated, the President of the House, Francine Armengolhad to repeatedly ask MPs for “silence” and “respect”.
The controversy on this subject had been triggered a few minutes earlier by the MP and former Minister of Social Rights. Ione Belarrawho called the elected president of Venezuela, Edmundo Gonzalez“an opponent who encourages violence in his country,” while criticizing the Spanish government for sending a plane to bring him to Spain.
The PP deputy, Belen Hoyotook it upon himself to ask the Minister of Defense the question. After evading the answer, Robles accused the Popular Party of having no “responsibility” or “sense of state.” “It’s about creating opposition and noise,” the minister told the formation of the Alberto Nuñez Feijoo.
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Two weeks ago, the Minister of Defense took advantage of her presence to present the new novel by Julia Navarro to send a “memorial to the men and women of Venezuela who had to leave their country, precisely because of the dictatorship in which they live”, which provoked applause from the audience.
In this context, Robles had some words of support for the opponent Edmundo González who is in Spain after leaving Venezuela to seek asylum and with whom the president of the government, Pedro Sanchezmet at the Moncloa Palace.
These remarks triggered a diplomatic crisis with the Ibero-American country. Nicolas Maduro called his ambassador for consultations. Robles’ statement was not supported or backed by other ministers.
