Colombian Senate approves proposal demanding Petro recognize Edmundo González’s victory

The signed document by the parliamentarians states: “The Senate of the Republic of Colombia, in view of the elections held in Venezuela on July 28, 2024, which have been shown to have given Mr. Edmundo González the undisputed winner, urges the National Government, and in particular the President of the Republic, Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego, to publicly recognize the true winners of said electoral process, who do not correspond to the current regime of Nicolás Maduro.”

Also: «EIt is public knowledge that the elections in Venezuela have been the subject of complaints of fraud, intimidation and repression of the opposition. In light of this, it is imperative that the Government of Colombia adopt a clear and firm position in favor of democracy, aligning itself with the countries that have already rejected “fraudulent results.”

«The Senate reitera that the recognition of legitimate results is not only a sign of support for democracy in the region, but also an action consistent with the principles of Colombia’s foreign policy, committed to the defense of human rights and the rule of law,” the document reads.

One of the senators who applauded the approval was Miguel Uribe (Democratic Center), who said: “The Congress of Colombia urges Gustavo Petro to recognize Edmundo González as president. Thanks to those who approved our proposal to get in line with world democracy. Venezuela has the Senate of Colombia! Today, we give support to the people of Venezuela.and Venezuela in its struggle to achieve freedom.”

With a vote of 83 in favor and 27 against, the House of Representatives approved on September 16 the proposal presented by Representative Andrés Forero, of the Democratic Center.

“The Chamber ofThe representatives of Colombia categorically condemn the flagrant disregard of the popular will expressed at the polls and invite the President of the Republic Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego to recognize Edmundo González as the elected president of Venezuela for the period 2025-2031.“, says the approved proposal.

The parliamentarians Those who signed the motion also rejected what they called “a notorious fraud” and the serious acts of violence committed by the Maduro regime after the elections. They also expressed their solidarity with the victims. of repression and “encouraged” the Venezuelan people to “recover freedom and democracy.”

What effect does it have?

Although legislators from the Historic Pact opposed it, Representative Andrés Forero managed to get the proposal accepted.

One of the arguments of those who opposed the proposal is that it has no practical effects and that, in fact, as noted by Representative Pedro Suárez Vacca, for example, recognizing González as president-elect goes beyond his duties as a parliamentarian.

«Of course thatWe stand in solidarity with the victims of human rights violations, but just because we do not agree with the terms of this statement does not mean that we support human rights violations or that we have to recognize a presidency because you want us to. Furthermore, it is not our responsibility. The responsibilities of the Chamber are enshrined in the Political Constitution. “That does not mean that we support any dictatorial regime,” said the legislator of the Historic Pact.

But beyond the refusal of the Pact’s parliamentarians, which seems to be more due to the need to align themselves with the government’s position, what does the approval of this proposal imply in real terms?

Yan Bassett, dDirector of the Democracy Studies Group (Demos UR), maintains that this is a “fundamentally symbolic declaration” that rather than having a practical effect seeks to send a message to the president already public opinion.

“Also, if Although Congress has powers in matters of foreign policy, through the second committees, it is limited to approving or rejecting the signatures of international treaties, basically that is its job and in terms of foreign policy it also has no effect,” said the professor of Political Sciences at the University of Rosario.

Nevertheless, He says that for the government it could become an inopportune statement, although he doubts that it will get a response from the head of State. “Beyond the underlying message and the fact that the vast majority of political actors share the thesis that there was electoral fraud by the regime, this could constitute a problem for the Foreign Ministry, which, on the other hand, has tried to to assume a position of mediation in the current political situation in Venezuela,” added Basset.

It is worth mentioning that,Although a large part of the international community maintains that the winner of the elections was González, President Gustavo Petro, along with his counterparts from Mexico and Brazil, Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, respectively, have remained silent about the winner of the elections.They have chosen to mediate, without success so far, in the crisis in Venezuela.