The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, gave the EU ambassador in Venezuela, Isabel Brilhante, 72 hours to leave the country. “Enough of European colonialism and interventionism against Venezuela!” he warned. The expulsion was the answer to the EU decision to impose entry bans, assets and accounts freezing on eleven Venezuelan top officials. The black list already adds up to 36 officials, accused of “undermining democracy and the rule of law.” The measure also responds to a gross interventionist attitude of the European body against Venezuela since 2013. Even when this body pretends to foster dialogue, the EU actually acts as a pawn in the US foreign policy of sanctioning those looking for a political, electoral settlement, with organized, mutually agreeable elections for both the government and the opposition, attached to democratic and institutional channels as agreed in the National Roundtable. Maduro also pointed out he reserved the final decision on the Spanish ambassador Jesús Silva, in whose residence is sheltered terrorist and mastermind of the coup d’état attempt Leopoldo López, who planned the failed Operation Gideon for weeks, according to a lengthy note released by American newspaper Wall Street Journal. It will be recalled that those involved in the Operation Gideon tried to invade Venezuela by sea from Colombia in a new attempt to overthrow and assassinate Maduro.

Not to mention the G4 (opposition parties), supporters of coup d’états by trade, warmongers, bloodshed lovers, obedient to the Empire´s orders, enriched with the money allotted to subversion and goods stolen to the State by such “sanctions;” none more than Guaidó, nonetheless, who became a billionaire. But they were opposed to any negotiated solution, as José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero —former Spain´s President and patient facilitator and intermediary of an agreement that should have been signed in the Dominican Republic between the government and the opposition in February 2018, thwarted by Washington´s orders even though the direction came from Bogota— could verify himself. Then former Spanish President stated: “This is a decisive moment. This is it. If not, it may take a dangerous path. That is why I call for an understanding. The essence is there, agreement on the election date, election observation, the rules of the game, electoral guarantees…” an alternative would be just “extremely negative.”

In sync with its copy-cat behavior of the US policies, the EU discredited for no reason the new National Electoral Council, appointed by Venezuela´s Supreme Court in accordance with its statutory powers because of a legislative omission, considering that the National Assembly in contempt never reached the votes needed and part of it lacked political will to name the new governing leaders. Few days later, the EU announced the “sanctions” imposed on some Venezuelan leading officials. For example, Luis Parra, president of the National Assembly and member of the opposition as well as his two Vice Presidents, members of the faction that took the place of Juan Guaidó in the Parliament.

Guaidó did not go there as he knew about the rebellion staged against him by the members of Parliament of the opposition, which would have resulted in his inability to have the votes needed for reelection. Afterwards, as usual, he staged a show outside the building with a group of fake lawmakers to simulate an election, but such did not meet the Parliament´s rule. Therefore, the sole legitimate and democratically-elected body of the National Assembly is the one chaired by Parra.

Given that Guaidó is not really a crowd-puller, his rapport with other opposition leaders is actually shaky, there is a critical situation in his own political party —of which he seems to quit—, there is a virtual disappearance from the political arena, it is very likely that Washington had put pressure on Brussels to buy him some time by censoring the agreements reached on the National Roundtable by the government and the opposition, which will be part of the elections by the end of the year; opposition that does not accept sanctions or foreign interventionism. Guaidó still remains standing thanks to the Trump´s support and the dishonest media fanfare in more than 50 nations. But the loss of US leadership worldwide is growing and crystal clear. So its domestic crisis. Trump´s negligence and criminal behavior before the pandemic and the growing multiracial mass movement originated in that country surrounding the killing of George Floyd are some of the symptoms of such crisis. Something similar is occurring within the EU. The EU was unable to draw up a solidarity plan to fight the Covid-19 and it may occur the same with its economy, suffocated by new sanctions ordered by its US “ally.”

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff