Diplomatic tensions between Madrid and Caracas increased on the evening of Thursday, September 12. Venezuela recalled its ambassador to Spain for consultations, a few hours after the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, received the Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia, who has been a refugee in Madrid since Sunday.
In response to a statement by Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles, calling the government of Nicolás Maduro a “dictatorship”Venezuela “He decided to withdraw the Venezuelan ambassador” Gladys Gutierrez “for consultation”Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil announced on social media on Thursday evening. Caracas also summoned Spain’s ambassador to Venezuela, Ramón Santos Martínez, to appear at the ministry on Friday, according to the statement.
On Thursday, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles expressed her solidarity with “The men and women of Venezuela who had to leave their country” due to “the dictatorship”Mr. Gil described these comments as“insolent and rude”claiming that they “evidence of deterioration” bilateral relations.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Thursday received Edmundo González Urrutia, the opposition candidate who is claiming victory in the July 28 presidential election against Nicolás Maduro, who was declared the winner for a third term.
” YO [lui] a warm welcome »said Sánchez in a message posted on X about González Urrutia, who arrived in Madrid on Sunday on a Spanish army flight. Sánchez assured that Spain continues “working for democracy, dialogue and the fundamental rights of the brotherly people of Venezuela”.
Spain, like all EU member states, is demanding the full publication of the minutes issued by the polling stations during the presidential elections on 28 July, something that the Venezuelan authorities have not done, claiming to have been victims of a computer fraud.
The National Electoral Council (CNE) declared President Nicolás Maduro the winner of this election, with 52% of the votes. But this result is disputed by the opposition, which claims, based on the minutes provided by its scrutineers, that Edmundo González Urrutia obtained more than 60% of the votes. In the absence of complete results, the EU countries have so far refused to recognize a winner.
This is not the case of the United States, which decided to recognize González Urrutia as president and which on Thursday announced sanctions against sixteen people close to Nicolás Maduro, stating that they had “hindered” the holding of the presidential elections on July 28. Among them are CNE leaders and magistrates, including the president of the Supreme Court who validated Mr. Maduro’s re-election and the prosecutor who issued an arrest warrant against Edmundo González Urrutia.
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Caracas immediately rejected “with the greatest firmness” measures judged “illegitimate and illegal” and considered as news ” assault “ from Washington.
Venezuelan parliament speaker calls for a break with Spain
In a press release sent by his entourage shortly after his meeting with Pedro Sánchez, González Urrutia indicated on Thursday that he had informed the socialist leader of his “recognition by interests” that he uses “to the restoration of democracy and respect for human rights” in Venezuela.
“I reaffirmed my determination to continue the fight to uphold the sovereign will of the Venezuelan people expressed on July 28 by more than eight million voters.”added González Urrutia, who had not yet spoken with the socialist leader, until then on an official trip to China.
The meeting between Sánchez and González Urrutia took place just hours after the speaker of the Venezuelan parliament, Jorge Rodríguez, campaign manager for Nicolás Maduro during the presidential campaign, called for them to break up. “all relationships” with Spain.
At issue: a vote by the Spanish Parliament, which on Wednesday adopted a resolution presented by the Popular Party, the main opposition to Pedro Sánchez, asking the government to recognise Edmundo González Urrutia as president of Venezuela. This parliamentary proposal has only symbolic value; the decision of whether or not to recognise Edmundo González Urrutia as president rests with the executive.
For Venezuelan analyst Mariano de Alba, an advisor on international relations and diplomacy, interviewed by Agence France-Presse, the threat of a breakup by the Venezuelan authorities persists at this stage. “very lazy”but it is not “excluded from materializing”. In that case, this would confirm “that the Maduro government is willing to isolate itself from the West to stay in power”Even if it means losing “very important links” in the plan ” economic “. Spain, for its part, would lose its “power of influence over the Maduro government at a time when it is precisely necessary”the researcher estimates.
