Following the December 6 vote, which saw the illegitimate Nicolás Maduro regime win a majority in the parliamentary election, the European Union (EU) and the Lima Group, along with the United States, declared they would not recognize the results.
According to Venezuela’s electoral council, just 31 percent of 20 million eligible voters participated in the election — less than half the turnout than in the previous National Assembly elections of 2015. In a news conference on December 7, Interim President Juan Guaidó called for a boycott of the vote, declaring it a farce meant to consolidate a dictatorship. He also called on his supporters to participate in a December 12 referendum that will ask citizens whether they reject the results and want a change of government.
“They have imprisoned us, they have tortured us, and they have assassinated us, but here we are and here we will be until we see our Venezuela lead to a free, democratic country without dictatorship,” Guaidó said.
“The United States, along with numerous other democracies around the world, condemns this charade which failed to meet any minimum standard of credibility,” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on December 7.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, echoed those sentiments saying the election “failed to comply with the minimum international standards.” In a statement, EU foreign ministers said on December 7 the vote “failed to comply with the minimum international standards for a credible process and to mobilize the Venezuelan people to participate.” Moreover, the European Council said “Venezuela urgently needs a political solution to end the current impasse and to allow for the delivery of the urgently required humanitarian assistance to its people.”
In a written statement, the Lima Group called on the international community to “join in the rejection of the fraudulent elections and support the efforts for the recovery of democracy, the respect of human rights, and the rule of law in Venezuela.” The signatory countries of the Lima Group include Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Saint Lucia.