President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) said this Wednesday (6/3) that he is “happy” after Venezuela scheduled the country's presidential elections for July 28. He also mentioned that Nicolás Maduro's government had warned him that he would have to invite scouts from around the world to follow the election, but replied that “nothing matters” if the Venezuelan opposition behaves like its opposition in Brazil .
“You know what made me happy? “Elections are planned in Venezuela,” Lula told reporters after receiving Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for a meeting at the Palácio do Planalto. Asked whether he thought Venezuela's elections were fair, Lula reported that the country's authorities said they would invite international scouts to monitor the process while attending the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) summit last week monitor. Lula even had a bilateral meeting with Maduro.
However, the president warned against attempts to cast doubt on the election without evidence. “If the opposition candidate behaves the same way we do here, it won’t be worth anything,” said the president. His opponent, former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), and his allies are questioning the validity of electronic voting machines.
In Venezuela, Maduro's government is accused of rigging elections and preventing free competition for opposition candidates. In 2018, when the last presidential elections were held in the country, a number of international agencies and institutions drew attention to electoral fraud.
Holding democratic elections this year is part of an agreement with Venezuela to lift economic sanctions imposed by the United States. However, the North American government is threatening to resume measures amid recent reports of the Maduro government arresting opponents.
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