Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro asked the National Electoral Council (CNE) Tuesday to invite the European Union (EU) and the United Nations as observers in the process of legislative elections scheduled for this year.
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During the presentation of his 2019 balance, the Venezuelan president was also firm in expressing that "what is definitive is that neither the Organization of American States (OAS) nor Luis Almagro will ever enter this country again."
"The European Union, the U.N. Secretary-General, the African Union, and all the organizations should be widely invited to come and see how the people of Venezuela, a free people, elect their new National Assembly," he added.
Este año 2020 emprenderemos una lucha contra la corrupción, el burocratismo y contra los funcionarios alejados del pueblo que se ahogan en papeles inútiles. Vamos hacia las transformaciones profundas que renueven nuestras prácticas y métodos. ¡O Cambian o Se Van! pic.twitter.com/6tNsIph2cF
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) January 14, 2020
This year, 2020, we will undertake a fight against corruption, bureaucratism and against officials far from the people who are drowning us in useless papers. We are going towards deep transformations to renew our practices and methods. Either they change or they leave!
On the list of possible guests, the president mentioned the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac), which gathers all American countries except for the United States and Canada.
Maduro said he agreed that the CNE, "should prepare more open guarantees, even more, open than those that have yet been provided" for the upcoming elections.
"One of those guarantees, he insisted, is a policy of "open doors to international observation,” adding that "may there be elections this year 2020 to elect a new National Assembly and may the people decide this conflict with their conscience, with their political will."
Pese a la guerra económica, en el 2019, expandimos el Sistema de Protección Social, ensayamos exitosamente con El Petro y mejoramos de forma estructural y sostenida el abastecimiento. Nos corresponde ahora relanzar la economía para garantizar igualdad y protección al Pueblo. pic.twitter.com/ZCq3JrROKZ
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) January 14, 2020
Despite the economic war, in 2019, we expanded the Social Protection System, successfully tested Petro, and structurally and sustainably improved our supply network. It is now up to us to relaunch the economy and guarantee equality and protection for the people.
Maduro also asked the National Dialogue Board to "bring the legitimate government, the opposition represented by Juan Guaido all together in one table."
In his opinion, Guaido is "a ventriloquist puppet" who responds to the orders of U.S. President Donald Trump and does not care about democracy or the Venezuelans. While Venezuela's Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza denounced that the U.S. government is promoting a plan to intervene in the upcoming elections.