Mexico City—On Thursday, the Mexican government issued a statement concerning the presidential elections in Venezuela, urging restraint and caution during demonstrations and emphasizing the need for respect for the popular sovereignty of the Venezuelan people. This call for peace and transparency came in a joint statement with the governments of Brazil and Colombia.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) congratulated the Venezuelan community for holding the elections on July 28 and expressed its solidarity with the people. The statement emphasized that Mexico, along with Brazil and Colombia, is closely monitoring the vote-counting process. The three countries urged the Venezuelan electoral authority to promptly release the election results to maintain transparency and trust in the electoral process.
“We are closely following the vote counting process and we call on the electoral authorities of Venezuela to move forward expeditiously and to make public the data broken down by voting table,” stated the document released by the agency.
The SRE highlighted the importance of resolving any controversies related to the electoral process through institutional channels, ensuring that the fundamental principle of popular sovereignty is respected through an impartial verification of the results.
“In this context, we call on political and social actors to exercise the utmost caution and restraint in their demonstrations and public events in order to avoid an escalation of violent episodes. Maintaining social peace and protecting human lives must be the priority concerns at this time,” the statement urged.
The Mexican government reiterated its “absolute respect for the sovereignty of the will of the people of Venezuela” and expressed its willingness to support dialogue and efforts to reach agreements that benefit the Venezuelan people.
Earlier in the day, during his morning press conference, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced that he would have a telephone conversation with Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Brazilian President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva to discuss the Venezuelan elections. “We will probably speak on the phone with President Lula and Petro today at noon in Mexico City, around 2:00 p.m. We will talk about the positions that exist in the case of Venezuela,” López Obrador said, leaving it unclear whether the call would be a group call or individual conversations.
This statement follows López Obrador’s announcement on Wednesday, July 31, that Mexico would not participate in the extraordinary meeting called by the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) to address the Venezuelan electoral results. He criticized the OAS for its perceived bias, stating, “I have information that Alicia Bárcena, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, will not participate in the OAS meeting and we will not participate because we do not agree with the biased attitude of the OAS. Before knowing the results, Luis Almagro had already recognized one of the candidates without any proof, so why are we going to a meeting like this? This is not serious, it is not responsible, it does not help to find a peaceful, democratic solution to a country’s conflict.”
President López Obrador emphasized that Mexico’s main requests are for prudence, peace, and non-interference in a process that “fundamentally corresponds to the Venezuelans”: “(…) We must not get involved in a matter that is fundamentally the responsibility of Venezuelans. That is why we propose: first, that there be no violence; second, that the will be respected; third, that the evidence, the minutes, of the electoral results be presented; and fourth, that there be no interference. We must wait for the results to be delivered,” he stated.
The joint statement by Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia underscores the importance of regional cooperation and diplomacy in ensuring the stability and democratic integrity of the Venezuelan electoral process. As the situation develops, these nations continue to advocate for a peaceful resolution that honors the will of the Venezuelan people.