The Socialists and Democrats will always stand by democracy, the protection of human rights and the defence of the will of the people of Venezuela*.

We condemn Maduro’s repressive policies and attacks on civil society and the opposition, and demand the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and arbitrarily detained persons. 

We strongly reject the legitimacy of the election results due to the lack of transparency and minimum guarantees during the electoral process and demand that the Venezuelan electoral authorities release full, transparent and detailed voting results.

Dialogue is more crucial than ever to find a peaceful, inclusive and democratic solution to the long-standing crisis, which has significantly worsened following the outcome of the presidential elections of July 28th.

The S&D Group recognises the work done by the EU and its high representative and Commission vice-president Josep Borrell, to find a democratic solution to the Venezuelan crisis. Moreover, we acknowledge the Spanish government’s decision to grant Edmundo González Urrutia political asylum, which supports a viable path towards resolving the crisis.

Javi López, European Parliament vice-president and S&D negotiator on the resolution on the situation of Venezuela, said:

“We are extremely concerned about the deterioration of the situation in Venezuela. Repression and persecution of political leaders and civil society must end, and the electoral authorities must release full and transparent results. Only through dialogue, transparency and respect for the free and democratic will of the Venezuelan people can the country find a solution to the long-standing political crisis.”

Note to editors

*Today, the European Parliament is holding a debate on the situation in Venezuela. European Parliament vice-president and S&D negotiator on the resolution on the situation of Venezuela Javi López will intervene during the debate. You can follow it live here(opens in a new tab).