The political crisis in Venezuela is turning into a civil war of the European socialists. This Thursday, the European Parliament approved the recognition of Edmundo González as the “legitimate and democratically elected” president of the country, an initiative promoted by the PP of the European Parliament, with the votes of Giorgia Meloni, Vox and the German far right. And, surprisingly, also with that of five Portuguese socialist MEPs.
It is about Francisco Assis, Isilda Gomes, Carla Tavares and two MEPs from the autonomous regions, Andre Rodriguesfrom the Azores, and Sergio Goncalvesof Madeira, which has maintained close ties with the Caribbean country since the end of the last century. The breach of electoral discipline is interpreted as a case of insubordination against the Spanish delegation, which campaigned for the No.
Above all, against the president of the Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Iratxe Garciawho is in turn a member of the PSOE executive. According to parliamentary sources, 50 other socialist MEPs broke with their official line in another minor vote, to ask the Venezuelan government to publish the minutes of the votes.
To put things in context, there are two clearly differentiated factions within the party. One is García’s, the Spanish delegation, which is the most important delegation because it represents the only country of reference – along with Germany – where the socialists govern; also because it is the country of Pedro Sánchez, president of the Socialist International.
The other faction, closer to the Venezuelan opposition, is that represented by the vice-president of the alliance for foreign affairs, the Greek party Yannis ManiatisThis group includes the five capricious Portuguese MEPs, who have always been very clear in their condemnation of the Maduro regime.
“The real figures indicate that the opposition leader, Edmundo González Urrutia, won the elections,” Maniatis said in statements collected by the Social Democrats themselves.
In principle, the socialists had agreed not to support Edmundo González either as president of Venezuela or as the legitimate winner of the elections, which is the thesis defended by the Spanish delegation. No European country has yet recognized him as president; only Panama, Ecuador and Argentina have done so.
The reason for this position is the same as that adopted by the Spanish government a week ago: to refer to the position of the European Council, which is not to recognise neither to González nor to Maduro until the official election records are published. They also claim that this recognition has failed in the past, when it was carried out with Juan Guaidó.
As happened with the Congress of Deputies in Spain, the gesture of the European Parliament towards Edmundo González is an act purely symbolic and without legal value. The official recognition of a president falls within the exclusive power of governments.
Its value is therefore political: increasing pressure on national governments and the European Commission to move in this direction. Finally, thanks to an amendment by the socialists (the texts are voted on point by point), the initiative does not encourage Member states must recognise opposition leader
