President Petro Proposes Referendum in Venezuela

The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, has proposed to his Brazilian counterpart, Lula da Silva, the holding of a referendum in Venezuela. All this was in the framework of the meeting that the two presidents held for four hours in Bogota, within the framework of the Brazilian president’s official visit to Colombia. After the meeting, Lula confirmed the proposal, but did not give an opinion on it.

The initiative seeks a way to reach a “democratic solution” for the government of Nicolas Maduro and the Venezuelan opposition. It would be held in parallel to the electoral day of July 28, the date on which the controversial presidential elections are to be held, an event in which several opposition candidates have been vetoed.

Respecting the life of the loser in Venezuela

One of the reasons explained by President Petro in the press conference after the meeting with Lula was that in this way, the life of the loser would be respected, since he would be offered clear guarantees, beyond the questionable presidential elections.

“We talked about Venezuela. I transmitted to President Lula a proposal that was shared with President Nicolas Maduro (Venezuela) and to the opposition, about the possibility of a referendum in the upcoming elections”, explained Gustavo Petro.

The Colombian president explained that his initiative would offer “certainty and security on his life and political guarantees”. “We want to guarantee for anyone who loses in these electoral processes certainty and security in their life, in their rights, and in the political guarantees that any human being should have in their (own) country,” said the president.

Commitment to dialogue and rejection of sanctions against Venezuela

Likewise, the Colombian and Brazilian presidents opted for dialogue as the way to solve the political conflict in Venezuela. At the same time, both politicians expressed their rejection of the re-establishment of international sanctions and any measure that aggravates the suffering of the Venezuelan people.

“With regard to Venezuela, the important thing is to maintain a constant dialogue between the government and other political sectors in the spirit of the Barbados Agreement”, expressed the joint communiqué of Presidents Petro and Lula.

Also on Venezuela, about the territorial dispute between this country and Guyana over the Essequibo, the Latin American leaders encouraged both countries to continue the dialogue within the framework of the Argyle Declaration, reaffirming their support for diplomatic solutions to resolve the controversy.