It is not expected that the presidents of Colombia and Mexico travel to Venezuela. These governments would be represented by lower-level delegations.
In the early morning of July 29, to the worldwide surprise, Ripe was declared the winner of the elections by the CNEa body that is controlled by rectors related to the chavismo. Then, the Electoral Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justicealso a Chavista, endorsed the result. However, to date the authorities have not published the official records proving the Chavista’s victory.
The Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, addresses the media after appearing before the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), in Caracas, on August 9, 2024. (Photo by Federico PARRA / AFP)
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On the contrary, the opposition grouped in Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) accessed 83% of the official minutes and published them. They show that the opponent Edmundo González Urrutiawhich has the support of the leader Maria Corina Machadowon the elections with more than 30 points of advantage over Ripe.
María Corina Machado speaks to the media accompanied by the opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, on July 29, 2024. (Photo by Federico PARRA/AFP).
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After the questioned official results, the presidents of ColombiaGustavo Petro; of BrazilLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva; and of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) and his replacement Claudia Sheinbaum tried to promote a common front to try to mediate the post-electoral dispute in Venezuela. They They demanded independent verification of the election results so that Maduro’s victory is recognizedbut none of these leaders’ efforts were successful.
Colombia and Mexico will be present at the inauguration
Colombian President Gustavo Petro delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the COP16 summit in Cali, Colombia, on October 20, 2024. (Photo by JOAQUIN SARMIENTO / AFP)
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Last Monday, the Colombian Government said that it was evaluating who will represent the country at the investiture of Ripe. Initially, it is planned to be a low-profile delegation led by the ambassador in Caracas, Milton Rengifo.
“Surely the Government of Colombia, like many governments in the region, is going to send a representative to the president’s inauguration ceremony. Ripe. In our case, initially it is planned that the Colombian ambassador to Venezuela will attend, Milton Rengifo”said the vice chancellor, Jorge Rojas, in an interview with Noticias Caracol.
While sources from the Presidency assured the EFE agency that no decision has yet been made about who to send to Caracas.
For his part, the Colombian foreign minister Luis Gilberto Murillo He told the newspaper El País on December 22 in an interview that his Government’s position remains the same: “We have said: there were no minutes, there is no recognition. It’s that simple. We respect the sovereignty of Venezuela, but the minutes are fundamental. Our relationship is from State to State. We have a population on the border of 13 million people on both sides, a security relationship, commercial ties… There are a series of issues that the country has to continue discussing with Venezuelabut that does not imply that we have to come out with recognition. If there are no minutes, there is no recognition.”
When asked who will attend the investiture of RipeMurillo responded: “We haven’t gotten there. They invited the president, but it is a decision that he will make within his autonomy, in due course. “They didn’t invite me.”
The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, reacts during a press conference at the National Palace. (EFE/Sáshenka Gutiérrez).
On Monday, December 23, the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaumrevealed that he will send a representation of his Government to the investiture of Ripe.
The Mexican leader made this announcement in her morning conference, without giving more details, when asked by a Telesur journalist about her attendance at the inauguration ceremonies of Ripe and Donald Trump in the United States.
“In the first case, a representation or the ambassador himself who is in Venezuela (Leopoldo de Gyves), and in the second case, I understand that there are still no invitations, not only to Mexico, but that there are still no invitations in general”Sheinbaum declared.
On December 13, Sheinbaum had denied having received an invitation to attend the inauguration of Ripe.
In October, Sheinbaum had said that his government would maintain an “impartial” stance on Venezuela’s post-election crisis.
The predecessor of SheinbaumAMLO, had mentioned that the electoral records of July 28 must be made transparent.
The EFE agency recalled that for the takeover of Sheinbaum on October 1, Ripe He was invited, but did not attend and chose to congratulate her in a public message, in which he recalled the “history of brotherhood” that he maintains with the North American country and with the former president, López Obrador.
As to Brazilhas not yet announced whether or not it will send representatives to Venezuela.
Are Bogotá and Mexico recognizing Maduro?
A motorcyclist passes by a mural depicting the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez (1954-2013) and Nicolás Maduro in Caracas on September 26, 2024. (Photo by Federico PARRA/AFP).
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Andrés CanizálezVenezuelan writer, journalist and university researcher, told The Commerce that the decision is framed within what has been the policy of Colombia, Mexico and Brazil, of try to make demands on Maduro but at the same time not break the thread of communication with the government of Venezuela.
“In recent days I saw a statement from the chancellor of Brazil where he maintained that diplomatic relations between countries occur between States beyond governments. I believe that therein lies the key to this, and for me much of this also goes back to the relationship that at different times Latin American countries have had with the cuban dictatorship”said Cañizález.
“That is to say, The absence of freedoms and democracy in those countries is somehow put on the freezer in order to maintain a channel of dialogue with the government of that country.. I think that’s where it’s going, it’s a more pragmatic thing, it seems less principled to me, but I think that’s where the interaction is going,” he added.
“Obviously, they are sending a message when they say that they are not going to send a high-level delegation, that they are not going to be even Peterneither Lulaneither Sheinbaum In Caracas, the ambassadors of each country will surely be there, which also means A message of little relevance is sent, or Maduro is not given full support. “But I think that this approach of thinking that the relationship is with the States and not with the governments is going to be the principle under which this new stage is going to advance,” held.
Cañizalez considered that For the government of Venezuela, it is a triumph that there is not a break in relations. He added that for Chavismo it does not matter that there is no mention of full recognition of Maduro’s legitimacy as ruler.
