U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and 14 colleagues expressed their concerns about ongoing efforts to undermine the pre-electoral and primary processes leading up to the critical Venezuelan presidential elections scheduled in 2024 in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.“The Venezuelan people cannot afford to see another fraudulent election, which will only bring further suffering to their nation and foment greater instability in the Americas,” wrote the senators. “Unfortunately, with a presidential election scheduled for 2024, the Maduro regime is already doing everything possible to undermine prospects for a credible vote.”
“Despite these setbacks, Venezuela’s opposition parties are taking steps to hold primary elections in October to democratically choose a candidate who will challenge Nicolás Maduro in next year’s elections,” continued the senators.
Given these dynamics and persistent efforts by Maduro to destroy any semblance of a legitimate primary or general election process, the senators’ letter stresses the following:
- The primaries must be allowed to take place as planned, as designed by the National Commission for Primaries, without interference from the regime;
- All candidates must be allowed to participate and the Maduro regime cannot pick its own opponents; and,
- Whoever wins the primary must be allowed to run in the general election, in a legitimate election that credible international election observers confirm represents the will of the Venezuelan people.
Cassidy, Durbin, Menendez, Ernst, Kaine, and Rubio were joined by U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Rick Scott (R-FL), Michael Bennet (D-CO), John Cornyn (R-TX), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Chris Coons (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Peter Welch (D-VT), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) in signing the letter.
